Tri-Olitz
by Reader575
Summary: AU where Fitz and Olivia are college tri-athletes who unknowing share a unique history. One summer a near tragedy reunites them and a tried and true love develops. I own nothing, these characters are the property of Shonda Rhimes.
1. Chapter 1

I was so frustrated with tonight's episode of Scandal I had write something to counter my disappointment. This idea has been rolling around in my head for a few months. After watching the standard Rhimes formula of the writers "giveth only to taketh away an episode later", my muses would not stop bothering me.

Chapter 1

We Have a Pope Situation

Division Chief Reese stands at attention in front of a nine-foot cherry desk waiting for the man behind the desk to acknowledge his presence. The man with thinning blonde hair is perusing a file marked classified. The room is silent except for the intermittent heavy exhalation coming from the slightly irritated man behind the desk. The man leans back in his custom maroon-colored ergonomic leather chair. Looking expectantly at the Chief, the man taps his index finger on his lower lip.

"Where is she?"

"She and her strike team are en route to the Douglas MacArthur in the Gulf."

"How the hell was she able to pull this off without anyone catching wind of this unsanctioned op?"

"Sir you know as well as I she is known around the agency as the female version of Jack Ryan."

"Well, today I think a more accurate description is the female version of James Bond. The woman thinks she has a license to kill. Did she really terminate the interrogator with a bobby pin?"

"No sir, that would be the guard. She apparently wants the interrogator to suffer a slow painful death. Our sources tell us he will be wearing diapers and sucking baby food through a straw for the rest of his life."

"What is the status of Captain Grant?"

"Our people report the captain is stable sir. They really worked him over. She got him out in a nick of time."

"I am still at a loss for understanding exactly how she was able to pull this off. How did Pope secure top security level classified satellite intel, bluff her way and two others unto a naval transport, infiltrate an ISIS training camp and save the captain. Brigg's and his team have been searching for that camp for what, a year or more and yet she was able to discover the camp's location in less than 24 hours. How did she even know Grant was being held captive at the camp?"

"Unknown at this time sir. What I can say with certainty is that she was highly motivated to find the captain."

"Motivated? What was her motivation?"

"Captain Grant sir; she is in love with him."

"She loves him?"

"Yes sir. According to her file, she and the captain are lovers. Her closest peers report, she said and I quote, "come hell or high water I am going to bring Fitz home and anyone who gets in my way will get a one-way ticket to hell."

"Jesus, my husband loves me too but I doubt he would even push me out of the way of speeding car if it meant he'd be hit instead", the director chuckles.

"What do you want to do sir?"

"Well shit, I don't know whether to give her a commendation or bring her up on charges."

"I understand sir. She is our best analyst and this little stunt proves she's an asset we cannot afford to lose."

"Stunt, Reese you have the gift of understatement. Technically, I agree with you my boy, however officially I cannot have my best analyst going rogue and potentially causing an international incident. If this stunt of her's had failed, this country may well have been pulled into a military action it could ill-afford. Pope was reckless and thinking with her heart, not her brain."

"Agreed Director Beene, at minimum I recommend a formal reprimand and suspension."

"Reese you and I both know a reprimand is not going satisfy the other branches. They want her head on a chopping block. The woman executed a precedent-setting extraction with only three operatives at a cost of less than a hundred grand. Shit, the boys okaying five thousand dollar toilets are up in arms. Nobody wants the military-industrial complex to go the way of the ninety-nine cent store."

"Forgive me director but I think you are missing the bigger picture here. Pope not only rescued Captain Grant, her team took out an ISIS munitions depot."

"Well yeah, there is that. I suppose we can get the boys with the shiny medals on their chests off our backs if we announce this was a joint operation."

Reese's phone chimes. He excuses himself and answers it. "This is Reese, go ahead." Reese nods his head as he listens to the informant on the other end of the line. "Understood." Reese returns to his position in front of the desk and clears his throat.

"What is it?"

"The captain and Pope are on board the Douglas MacArthur. They should be stateside in 72 hours."

"Make sure they get whatever they need."

"Yes sir. What about the Pope situation?" Cyrus slides his hand down his face and exhales deeply.

"Write up the reprimand and suspend her until Captain Grant is able to return to duty."

Reese smiles. "I will get right on it sir."

"Reese."

"Yes sir."

"Write up a commendation while you at it."

"No problem sir." Reese gives a nod of thanks and leaves the director's office.

Cyrus stands and walks over to the office window. He stands staring out the window at nothing in particular. All of sudden he starts to laugh. "Damn it Olivia, well done my girl, well done."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"How is he," she asks the medic attending Fitz. The medic does not answer her question. She asks again; the medic continues to ignore her. She taps the man on the shoulder and asks again. He turns and notices she is not speaking into the helmet mic. He lifts his mic up and down signaling what she needs to do. She is so concerned about Fitz she forgets that communication is not possible on the helicopter without using the helmet microphones. She quickly repositions her microphone. "How is he?"

"He is in pretty bad shape. It looks he was beaten, water-board and shocked repeatedly. He is lucky you got to him when you did. A few more hours of torture and he'd be dead." The medic hangs the IV on the pole next to a bare-chested Fitz. An oxygen mask covers his bruised face and compression wraps surround his torso to stabilize his cracked ribs.

Olivia caresses his face with one hand and rests the other on his shoulder. She refuses to cry, at least not today. She promises herself not have a nervous breakdown until they reach home. "You're safe baby", she whispers to her unconscious love. "I found you. It is my turn to save you this time. I love you so much. You are going to be alright. You are safe now. Everything is going to be alright."

She looks up to find Jake and Huck watching her. "She mouths thank you and closes her eyes and lets sleep overtake her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

AN- What can I say? I will always right about a badass Olivia Pope because that is what I signed up to watch and if I can't get from the show I'll get it from FF.

Send me a shout out if you are at the end your rope too with this rubber band relationship storytelling.


	2. Chapter 2

**Tri-Olitz**

 **Chapter 2**

 _ **The First Rescue**_

"What's wrong crybaby? Wheh, wheh, wheh. Look everybody I think All-lip's lips are getting bigger the more she cries. She must be related to Pinocchio." All the kids encircling Olivia laugh at the comparison. "And what's with the pompoms on your head? Is that hair or steel wool? Looks like the stuff our maid uses to clean the crud out of our dirty pots and pans, Henry spouts."

Olivia sits in the sand, her knees drawn to her chest, crying uncontrollably. She is helpless, surrounded by a gang of taunting demon spawn from some of the Hampton's finest families with no means of escape. She rocks forward and backward praying her torture will end soon.

"Leave her alone", a voice commands from behind the pack of grade school tormentors. The young man owning the voice knocks a couple of the co-signing teasers out of the way so he can acquaint the jeering ringleader's face with some wet sand. He slams the mocking mouthpiece head first into the ruins of what used to be a sandcastle.

The angry blonde-haired leader scrambles to his feet spitting sand out of his mouth and wiping it from eyes. "Hey, this is none of your business. That girl punched my sister in the face!"

"Knowing your family Henry I'm sure Piper deserved it. My dad says your family is nothing but a bunch of inbred yahoos who are only able to vacation here because of six numbers and a few lucky spins of a Powerball wheel."

"Shut up! We are not inbred; whatever that means. We're from Minnesota and my family is just as rich as yours."

Olivia's knight in red OP trunks starts laughing. "God you're an idiot Henry. Get lost before I have Jake here kick your butt."

Henry turns to a smiling Olivia. "This isn't over All-lip. "He won't be around to protect you all the time" Henry spews menacingly.

Jake moves next to Henry. "Are you seriously threatening a little girl you pathetic piece of crap." Jake is so pissed that Henry for bullying a little girl of maybe six or seven, he hauls off and punches Henry in the face just on general principle.

"Ow, my nose! You hit me."

"No shit Sherlock. What was your first clue?"

The hangers-on with Henry start laughing at him. Henry and Piper, feeling humiliated, run off down the beach to their family's summer home.

"Any of you chicken butts up for some of the same?" The other kids take a step back shaking their heads. They quickly disperse, leaving Olivia alone with her two rescuers.

The two heroes sit on both sides of a sniffling, hiccupping Olivia. "You okay?" Olivia nods her head.

"What's your name?"

"Olivia"

"Well Olivia you have a beautiful name. I'm Fitz and this tough guy is my best friend Jake." Fitz extends his for Olivia to shake. "It's an honor to meet you. Anyone who punches that spoiled brat Piper in face is very cool in my book."

"That's for sure," Jake underscores.

"Why are you out here by yourself?"

"My cousin Deana went down to the snack stand with some boy to buy soda. She said she would be right back but that was a long time ago." Olivia's sniffles have stopped but the hiccups continue.

"Why did you punch Piper?"

"I was building a sandcastle and she walked by. She said my castle looked stupid because it didn't have a tower for a princess. She kept saying it's not a castle if it does not have a tower. I told her I didn't want my castle to have a tower. She said my castle was dumb then she kicked it down and started calling me names, so I punched her in the face. She ran home and came back with her brother and his friends. All of those mean kids teased me until you showed up and saved me. Thank you both."

"Are your parents at home?"

"Yes, my mother isn't feeling well."

"I am sorry to hear that but I think we should see you home."

"My cousin said to stay here until she gets back."

"You shouldn't be out here all alone. Come on, your cousin won't mind." Fitz and Jake each take one of Olivia's hands and swing her onto her feet.

"How old are you Livvie?

"Seven", she beams with two teeth missing from the top row of her mouth.

"How old are you guys?

"Nine", Jake toots proudly.

"Okay let's get you home."

Fitz asks, "where is your house?"

Olivia points up the beach. "Over there by that big black rock."

"Where do you live Fitz?"

"My family has a house down a little ways from here. You see that big white and blue house the flagpole in the front yard."

"Wow you must be really rich." Fitz shrugs his shoulders.

Fitz and Jake walk Olivia to the house her parents are renting for the summer. They walk her to the porch and she gives each of them a hug. She notices something on Fitz's arm.

"Is that a tattoo?"

"No, it's a birthmark."

"That's cool, it looks like a bolt of lightening." She gives Fitz and Jake one more hug before she opens the screen door and goes in the house.

The next day Fitz and Jake stop by to check on Olivia. Bounding up the front steps two at a time, the inseparable buddies literally see red when they reach the top of stairs. Sprawled across the front of the house written in red paint are the words "go home All-lips if you know what's good for you." Turning immediately to face each other they say in unison, "Henry".

Fitz rings the doorbell. The housekeeper Lucila, a buxom Honduran with a lazy eye, opens the door. She stares at the two young boys with an angry judgmental glare. "What do you want", she asks in a tone far from civil.

"Hi, is Olivia home, Fitz asks with all the verve typical of a nine year old?"

Lucila steps unto the porch. "Did you have anything to do with this?"

"No ma'am."

"What do you want with Olivia?

"We're her friends."

"Olivia has no friends around here. I'm going to ask you one more time what you want then I'm going to call the police and have you arrested for trespassing and vandalism."

"Really ma'am we are her friends. We met her yesterday when some local kids were bothering her."

"Oh sweeties, you must be Fitz and Jacob, her heroes. Olivia told me all about what happened yesterday." She proceeded to hug the two boys. "Hold on a minute, I'll get her." Lucila's whole demeanor changed in a flash.

Olivia comes to the door. Her eyes are red, her hair is in loose braids and her flower print sundress is slightly wrinkled.

"Hi"

"Hi", they respond with big smiles.

"Are you okay? Can you come out and play?"

Olivia looks back at Lucila for permission. "Why don't you go sit out front baby girl. I'll call you if your mother wakes up." Olivia nods and steps out onto the porch. She takes a seat on the steps on the side of the porch. Fitz and Jake sit on either side of her.

Fitz takes Olivia's hand. For some reason he feels like he has known her for a long time; even though he is only nine and it has been less than 24 hours since they met. He feels comfortable and at ease around her. He wants to be her friend and protector. "What happened here?" He softly asks.

"I think that mean boy Henry and his friends did this. My dad found it when he came out to set up the porch so my mom could lie down and look out at the ocean. She likes to do that, Olivia mumbles. They had a dead cat hanging from the planter too. My dad is really mad and my mom is upset because he's so angry."

"Did you dad call the police?"

"Yeah, they said it was some kind of silly prank. They told him it happens sometimes to renters."

"That's not true. Did he tell the police you think Henry did it?"

"Yes, that's when they told us to just let it go. That Henry is a real stinker."

"I am so sorry Olivia. You have had the worst vacation ever." Fitz and Jacob both give her a side hug.

"My mom is going to die." She looks down at their clasped hands and squeezes. "She caught the cancer and she had my dad bring us here so she could die by the ocean." Olivia's voice is void of emotion as she stares out at the sea letting the waves drown out the wailing cries of her family inside the house. She looks over to the front door. "I better go back in. My mom should be waking up soon. Thank you for stopping by." Olivia takes her hands backs and rushes back inside the house without saying another word.

Fitz and Jacob walk down the beach to the Davenport home. They can hear Henry and his friends playing in the backyard. They unlock the gate on the side of the house and walk to source of the voices. Fitz sees Henry joking around with one his "at the moment" friends and goes over to confront him about Olivia. The others seeing Fitz and Jake coming quickly part making a path for the two. Henry is unaware of Fitz's presence until Fitz speaks.

"Did you do it? Henry turns sharply to face Fitz.

"What are you doing here? How did you get on my property?"

Fitz undeterred repeats the question. "Did you do it?"

"Do what?" Henry snaps back.

Jake moves closer to Henry. "Don't play stupid dweeb!"

Henry backs up. He nods his head to his friends to grab Jake. Fitz sees the gesture and warns the other boys to back off; which they do.

Henry feeling full of himself because he is at home puffs out his chest and spits, "yeah I did it; so what, she deserves it. Her family doesn't belong here and she needs to be taught a lesson. She has no business hitting my sister. I hope her family is scared shitless."

Henry Davenport is a bully, a bully of the worst kind, an indulged one. He comes from a wealthy emotionally detached family with enough idiosyncrasies to keep an army of Manhattan's priciest shrinks in million dollar penthouses and expensive sports cars well into the next decade. The boy is mean and on his way to downright vicious. Margo and Walter Davenport, his absentee parents, pander to his manic tantrums with ostentatious material bribes and overlook his malicious tendencies through a prescription induced mental haze. The narcissistic co-dependent couple had children for purposes of carrying on the family name and for that purpose only. They have no bond or familial feeling toward their offspring and their kids know it. Henry is unloved, mad at the world and probably incubating some congenital form of psychosis.

"You eff'in douche bag coward! She's a little girl with a sick mother! Are you really standing here actually proud of what you did?"

"Bet she won't ever hit my sister again. Her stupid family probably won't ever come back here either."

"That does it." Fitz reached back and punched Henry in the eye. Henry doubles over in pain and drops to his knees.

"Hey leave my brother alone", Piper yells. She rushes to Henry's side to see if he is okay. He straightens up keeping one hand over his soon to be black eye.

"What is wrong with you Grant? Why do you care about that dumb girl?"

"What is wrong with you is the better question. She is an innocent human being who defended herself against your brat of a sister and you, with the help of your lickspittle crew, are terrorizing her. Seriously, dude? How low are you? You are a fake bully Henry. You are not even brave enough do your own dirty work. You are such a pathetic coward it's almost funny. How many of you went with him to scare a seven-year old girl?" Haden and Josh look away. "You're all a bunch of eff'in scumbags," Fitz says pointing a condemning finger at the crowd.

"Not cool Henry, not cool at all. Watch your back," Jake adds before he and Fitz leave the stunned gathering.

Later that afternoon, Olivia goes to answer the doorbell. When she opens the door, no one is standing there. She steps onto the porch and gasps. The red paint is gone and the porch table is covered with fresh flowers and a bowl of fruit. She runs down the front steps to see who the mystery clean-up crew might be. She looks down the beach in time to see Fitz and Jake running to the Grant compound. "My heroes", she whispers as tears roll down her cheeks.

"Good thing he's stupid or we would have never gotten all that paint off. What kind of idiot uses washable paint to send a threatening message?" They both laugh.

"He probably got the paint out of Piper's art supply box."

"Probably; he's too lazy to go to the caretaker's shed to look for real paint."

"I hope this helps her mother feel better."

"Me too."

* * *

"Are his parents at home?"

"Yep, grandma too."

"This is going to be epic."

"Totally; it's time for this jerk to get a taste of his own medicine."

"Tell your cousin he is the best man."

"I will. Who knew having an exterminator in the family would come in so handy."

"How many did he bring?"

"Four mean ones he said. They should wake up in a couple of hours. He threw in bat and a couple of rats for free."

"Perfect!"

Two hours later, screams and expletives can be heard coming from the Davenport home.

"Mommy, make it go away", Piper screams. She's standing on her pink silk duvet covered princess canopy bed ducking and covering her head to avoid the baby fruit bat flying in circles around her room. "I don't want to be a vampire! Mommy help me!" Margot sits at the vanity in her bathroom sipping from a half chilled bottle of vodka trying to drown out the screeching cries of her daughter.

"Walter will you please go check on the children. All their yelling is giving me a headache?"

Walter opens the bedroom door, walks down the hall and is greeted by absolute bedlam. The upstairs maid is standing on a step stool screaming rats in Spanish. The downstairs maid is using the vacuum cleaner like a shield to keep another rat at bay.

"What the hell is going on, Walter bellows.

"How did they get in? Damn it Henry did you leave the screen door open again?"

"No", Henry yells. "Dad help me, they're in my room and I can't get out."

Walter storms over to his son's room, angrily swings open the white six-panel door and barrels his way in shouting at the top of his lungs. "Henry what the hell are you screaming about? You're giving your mother a headache! Pipe down or you can kiss that new X-Box you want goodbye."

Walter doesn't have to wait long for an answer. His aggressive moves frighten the furry visitors cornering Henry at the other end of the room. The black and white skunk quartet breaks formation, raise their tails and start spraying Henry, his room and his father with their offensive garlic-sulfur scented spritz. A red-faced Walter grabs Henry's field hockey stick from its resting place against the wall. He boots the hissing four into Henry's bathroom like hockey balls and closes the door.

No sooner had Walter closed the bathroom door did he turn to see his 70-year old mother run past Henry's door screaming with her hands flailing about her head and Piper hot on her tail hollering some nonsense about vampires. Walter races out of Henry's room to find his mother. He finds her standing in front of the antique hall mirror trying to remove something from her overly expensive dyed-to-order human hair wig.

"Mother, what's wrong? What are you doing", he shouts.

"Get it out! Help me get it out of my hair! Rabies! I could get rabies son! Hurry Walt, do something!" Dorothy Davenport is a vain woman. No one in her family has seen her natural hair in the last 46 years. Her vanity runs so deep that she would rather stand there struggling to detangle the fruit bat from her head with the wig on rather than run the risk anyone seeing the state of her scalp.

By now, the entire household is awake and working furiously to counter the vermin invasion. The rats are captured, the skunks corralled and the fruit bat restrained by the strawberry-blonde strands of Grandma Davenport's custom wig. Walter completely unconcerned about his mother's modesty pulls the wig off her head and tosses it in the direction of one of the household staff who promptly dodges the flying bat nest preferring to let it hit the wall instead of catching it. Fortunately, for Dorothy the quick removal of the wig did not displace her skullcap. No one can see the evidence of her battle with alopecia. Not even her inconsiderate son. Dorothy looks at her son with teary-eyed exasperation. She slaps his chest, then realizes he's covered in something foul. She raises her hand to her nose and gags.

Piper, standing nearby, ready to add insult to injury, tells her father, "daddy you smell bad."

Outside Fitz and Jake are rolling on the ground below Henry's open window laughing hysterically. The smell of skunk escapes out the window along with Henry's whimpers. They know tomorrow they will catch hell but it will be worth it.

"Well, Olivia said it herself", Jake says.

"Yes she did, Henry is a real stinker", Fitz finishes the sentence with a grin.

* * *

A/N – As promised, I said they are going to be badass from beginning to end.

Hope you got to shed a tear, smile and have a chuckle with this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Tri-Olitz**

 **Chapter 3**

 **The Present**

 _Stateside, Bethesda Olivia's POV_

The hospital room is quiet and dark except for the dim slither of fluorescent lighting coming from the cracked open door to the bathroom. I lie next to Fitz with my head resting on his chest. He's sedated and I'm fine with that. He's safe, he's home and he's wrapped in my arms breathing on his own. All that matters is that we got to him in time. The bastards did not get the chance to break him, not that they could. My Fitz is strong, mentally and physically. Yes, his body suffered injury but nothing permanent or disfiguring. My love, my hero is home. Our stars are back in alignment and we will settle down together and make babies, lots of chubby-cheek babies. Finally, I can let my tears fall and breathe again. I kiss Fitz on the jaw and exhale before falling into a deep sleep for the first time in days.

 _Five Hours Earlier_

Dr. Wilkins, the baby-faced chief resident of Internal Medicine approaches me, Jake and Huck as we sit anxiously in the hospital waiting room. We're holding hands and quietly praying for Fitz; my lover and their best friend, well he is my best friend too.

Always somewhat self-conscious about interrupting praying families, the freckle-faced physician meekly clears his throat announcing his presence. "Are you here for Captain Grant?"

"Yes we are", I confirm jumping to my feet.

"Are you his family?"

"Yes, I am his fiancé and Jake here is his cousin. Now that you know who we are can you please fill us in on how he is doing", I ask impatiently.

"Of course; Captain Grant suffered joint and soft tissue injuries, a concussion, a dislocated shoulder, bruised ribs and peripheral nervous system damage. It appears his captors employed a variety of torture methods including beatings, sleep deprivation, water boarding and electro shock. The beatings produced no internal bleeding, probably because they wanted to drag out his interrogation over an extended period. Fortunately, because you were able to rescue him within 72 hours of capture the interrogators did not have enough time to inflict any permanent damage. The captain is quite a lucky man."

We breathe a collective sigh of relief and hug each other. "Thank you doctor", Jake says offering his hand to shake.

"When can we see him?"

"The orthopedist is finishing up resetting his shoulder, so he should be in his room within the next fifteen minutes or so. Check with the duty nurse for his room assignment. Since you are his family, the PTSD support team will want to speak to later. We here at the hospital can address his physical and some of his psychological needs; however, you as his family will need to provide the emotional support he'll need to work through the aftermath of his ordeal." We nod and thank the doctor again.

After the doctor leaves, I go stand by the waiting room window. Hugging myself to calm my nerves, I stare out at the red-orange haze of the setting sun. A weird kind of euphoric numbness envelopes my entire body, I can even feel it in my hair. "A variety of torture methods", "no time to inflict permanent damage", "rescued in time", "quite a lucky man"; the doctor's words keep replaying in my head like a broken record. Intellectually I understand the duality of this feeling I have; I'm euphoric because Fitz is alive and safe but at the same time I'm numb because of what happened to him. The love of my life was beaten and abused and I was helpless to prevent it. My rational mind knows there is no way I could protect Fitz in a combat situation but my irrational mind feels as if I let Fitz down, as if I let our team down. Try as I might, I can't make my mind go blank or quell my thoughts of failure and blame.

Jake can see me internally browbeating myself. He knows there is no point in telling me not to blame myself; I just need time, time to digest the situation on my own terms. "Liv it's okay, you don't have to hold everything in. We got him. We brought him home. He's safe. You can let go."

"Jake, I'm fine. Really, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I just want to see him and hold him. I'm fine, really." I rub Jake's arm, hoping my impassive demeanor masks my mounting trepidation.

"Okay Liv, whatever you say." Jake kisses me on the temple then walks over to talk to the duty nurse.

He drums his fingers on the counter of the nurse's station waiting for the duty nurse to acknowledge him. The six-foot transgender platinum blonde Florence Nightingale looks up with an irritated expression from the stack of patient charts she's trying to organize. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I need Captain Grant's room number. Dr. Wilkins said I should obtain the room number from you."

The nurse spins around in her chair and rolls over to the computer. She punches in Fitz's name and hits enter. She spins around again and returns to the counter with a notably less harsh expression. "Captain Grant is in room 542. Take the east elevator, turn right as you exit the elevator and room 542 will be at the end of the hall on your left. The doctor has the captain on a morphine drip to relieve his pain and to help him sleep so you may not be able to talk to him before it takes effect."

"Thank you, Room 542."

Jake returns to me and Huck and together, with me leading the way, make our way to Fitz's room. I push the up button to summon the elevator. Two seconds later, I push the button again.

"What's taking so long?" I push the button repeatedly in between scrutinizing the floor indicator above the elevator. Huck grabs my hand and looks me in the eye. "He's going to be alright. You heard the doctor, no permanent damage." I nod my head up and down and step back from the elevator. The elevator doors open a few seconds later.

The moment the elevator opens onto the fifth floor, I fly out in a flash and practically run down the hallway. I get to Fitz's door and stop abruptly. Placing my hand on the knob, I take a deep breath before opening the door. I slowly push the door open and creep in. Fitz is lying in bed propped up and sleeping. He looks peaceful. You would never guess that three days ago he was lying beaten and bloody on the concrete floor of a makeshift jail in the middle of the desert. I approach him cautiously, because I don't want to wake him. I come along the right side of bed and grasp his hand. A familiar electrical charge flows between the two of us and Fitz' eyes pop open. He smiles at me and squeezes my hand.

"Hi", he utters in a raspy pant. Hearing the distinctive timbre of his baritone voice under that throaty hoarseness makes my heart flutter. Fitz can always make my body tingle with just that single word. Our code word for everything is a-okay.

"Hi", I counter with a smile that makes his face light up. I lean in and softly kiss him on the lips. It's a quick kiss but it conveys what I'm feeling. I begin to pull away but he draws me back for a more passionate tongue exchange. Our connection is as intense as it always is, because our bodies have a natural affinity and we respond to one another with an intimacy uniquely our own. He can use a breath mint, but I don't care, I have practically simonized the inside of his mouth with my tongue when he's had full blown morning breath so a little dry mouth is nothing. I cradle his face and press my brow to his. "I love you so much baby. You almost died", I say, my voice cracking a little.

"I know."

"Don't do it again." I playfully chide.

"Okay", he says stroking my cheek with the palm of his knuckle-scrapped hand.

"All right, all right, enough with the googly eyes and swapping spit. Huck and I are in the room. Save your PDA (private displays of affection) for later, you're really making Huck uncomfortable." Huck grins shaking his head.

"Oh just Huck?" Fitz questions.

"Oh please spare me; you forget I've been around you two for so long I'm immune to your softcore porn greetings." Jake playfully pushes me aside so he can give Fitz a warm brotherly embrace. They hold each other for couple of minutes, then Jake steps aside to let Huck do the same. The three men wipe a lone tear from the base of their eyes. I look on smiling, overwhelmed by the love I feel for all three of my boys.

"Thanks for having my back guys. I…I…I have no words. I…I…I mean how did you do it", Fitz asks with tears in his eyes?" The combination of drugs, shock and psychological trauma are making Fitz emotional. He grabs my hand, kisses it and presses his head against it. I bend down, kiss the top of his head, hug him and let him rest his head on my chest. Jake and Huck can see we need to be alone and start retreating from the bed.

"Okay we're going to let you rest. We'll come by tomorrow man", Jake says as he and Huck turn to leave.

"Babe I'll be right back. I want to see Jake and Huck out." He continues to hold me, refusing to let go. Jake and Huck mouth to me "stay with him." I nod goodbye to them and turn my attention to Fitz.

"Livvie, I can't believe you came for me. I love you so much sweet baby. I love you so much," he keeps repeating and whimpering. My heart is breaking. I climb into the bed with him and hold him tight.

"I love you too Fitz, so much so the deepest abyss cannot contain my love for you. Sleep baby. Get some rest. We'll talk in the morning."

"You came for me…you came for me…I love you." Fitz falls asleep in my arms with "I love on his lips."

* * *

AN- The chapters will alternative between the past and the present until a few days before Fitz's mission. Also from this point forward, the story will be told from Olivia and Fitz's perspective- thought I'd try something new.

The next chapter will be about the second time Fitz rescues Olivia.

I am so happy you are enjoying this story so far. Your comments have been great. Thank you. Take care until next time.


	4. Chapter 4

Tri – Olitz

Chapter 4

 **The Second Rescue**

 _Smithsonian Natural History Museum_

Rocking back and forth on the balls of my feet, I look around anxiously searching for the nearest restroom. I breathe in and out trying to reduce the speed of the nausea rising from my belly to my throat. My stomach is churning like a front loading washing machine. Montezuma's revenge is wreaking havoc on my body and the museum will require the swift use of a mop and bucket if I don't find the can soon. Jake glances over at me, he can tell I am not feeling well. He quietly inches his way toward me while at the same time trying to pay attention to our science teacher Mrs. Jackson who is notorious for singling us out for on the spot impromptu questions.

"Siats meekerorum is also considered a big bully in the dinosaur kingdom. Weighing in at four tons and thirty feet, the siats was a colossal predator second only to the tyrannosaurus rex but surprising not a close relative of the t-rex. This particular specimen we're viewing was found in the Cedar Mountain Formation of eastern Utah and belongs to the carcharodontosaurian group of theropods. Now who can tell me what a theropod is? Anyone? Mr. Ballad care to regale us with one of your insightful definitions?"

Jake stops dead in his tracks. "Yes Ms. Jackson."

"Define theropod for the class", the teacher insists.

"Dang it, I knew it," he hisses under his breath. "Uh…uh… a theropod. Isn't that a two-legged dinosaur with little arms and claws?"

"Correct Mr. Ballard, a theropod is a bipedal carnivore with small forelimbs. Okay class let's move on to the FossiLab. The Curator of Dinosauria is going to talk to us about the Hellboy dinosaur."

Jake and I lag behind while the rest of class follows Ms. Jackson out of the National Fossil Hall to the FossiLab.

"Fitz, where are you going? Didn't you hear, Ms. Jackson is taking the class the FossiLab for a behind the scenes on the Hellboy dinosaur. How cool is that; a Hellboy dinosaur."

"I need to find the can. I ate those cookies Mellie sent last night and ever since, my insides have been rumbling and I feel like I going blow chunks at both ends." I lean back against the wall wincing from stomach cramps.

"I told you not to eat anything that girl made. Mellie can't figure out the instructions for making cold cereal." We both laugh.

Seriously, Fitz, we don't even go to school with her. She would never know if you didn't eat her care package. Mellie is mental man. Every time she gets near you something bad happens. Remember on your tenth birthday she ran to hug you and knocked you fully clothed into the pool. Let's see what else, oh yeah, she's given you the chicken pox, she's let her demon Great Dane bite you on the butt and chase you up a tree, and now this, food poisoning. I think she's like those crazy women who make their kids sick for attention; moo-chow something or other. You need to stay clear of her, she dangerous to your health. Did you know she goes around telling everybody that you're her O & O?"

"Her what?"

"Her O & O, one and only. I think she plans on marrying you straight out of high school", Jake recounts laughing.

"Don't even joke about that Jake. Our dads keep making us attend these stupid grown-up functions together. They're constantly ragging on and on about us being the perfect match, a golden couple, future political dynamite. We're twelve, we can't even vote. Mellie is clingy and talks about weird things I could care less about, like debutante balls, country clubs and duck hunting. She completely creeps me out. She snuck up behind me on New Year's Eve and tried to kiss me at midnight. I freaked and pushed her way so hard she fell into a planter. The cookies were her attempt at an apology."

"Doesn't seem like an apology to me, more like revenge. Since she's planning to marry you we can rule out poison but she definitely added something unpleasant to the old Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe."

"Look you catch up with the class, there's no point in both of us getting into trouble. I'll meet up with you later. If I'm not back by the time you leave the FossiLab, tell Ms. Jackson I'm sick and in the restroom."

"Fitz, I don't….."

"Don't worry. I'll find you guys. Just cover for me, I may be in the restroom for a while."

"Ewe, TMI. Dude the rules are no unaccompanied minors at anytime on field trips."

"So what, you want to escort me to the nearest toilet?"

"No, I actually want to the see the behind the scenes operation."

"Then go. I promise to be as quick as possible."

"Okay, make it snappy. I think I saw a bathroom down there." Jake points down the hall and pats Fitz on the shoulder then runs to catch up with the rest of their class.

I find the restroom and after twenty minutes of hugging the bowl and emptying my stomach and another ten clearing my colon, I emerge from the bathroom feeling 100 percent better. On my way to the FossiLab I get distracted by several unusual dinosaur exhibits. I wander into a large new exhibit under construction hoping for a sneak peek. I stand in the corner by the door watching the engineers set up the rigging to support a new display. The exhibit panel is next to the door by me. I read the exhibit description to myself. _Quetzalcoatlus, is the largest pterosaur or winged lizard to have ever walked the earth. Pterosaurs are not dinosaurs. Quetzalcoatlus had a wingspan of 22 feet and a body length of 26 feet. Scientists believe this pterosaur folded its wings and walked on all fours on when on land. Quetzalcoatlus was a native to Mexico._

* * *

"Duke how much longer? The assembly crew is ready to put together the pterosaur", a woman in a red jumpsuit shouts. Duke is on top of a cherry picker securing the rigging bolts to the support beams.

"Give me ten minutes. I have two more bolts to install and the weight bearing test."

"Okay, thanks, I'll let them know."

The woman uses her cell phone to advise the assembly crew of Duke's progress. She looks around the room searching for something, but before she sees me, I slip behind some tall plastic plants. I use my hand to make an opening through the plants and peer through the fake leaves. I notice a young girl standing next to a large white tarp covered heap on a wooden pallet. When she lifts the tarp, I can see the dinosaur bones underneath. It must be for the new display. There is something familiar about the girl. Maybe she goes to my school. The woman in the red jumpsuit calls the girl by name but I can't hear what she said because the Duke guy is yelling at someone on his phone and the noise from the hydraulics on the cherry picker is drowning out her voice. Duke lowers the cherry picker and dashes out the door yelling into the phone that he's on his way. The woman motions for the girl to step away from the covered heap and she complies.

The assemble crew enters the room as I'm about to leave. Curious as to how they will assemble the dinosaur display, I decide to hang around a little longer. They pull off the tarp, attach o-rings, hooks and wires to different parts of the _Quetzalcoatlus._ One of the men hooks the o-rings onto the cherry picker and ascends to attach the o-rings to the ceiling run the loose wires through a huge pulley machine. The guy on the cherry picker gives the thumbs up sign and the man next to the pulley machine turns it on. The pulley begins to hoist the pterosaur into the air. It kind of looks like a marionette dancing around as it jerks into position. The Duke guy returns to the room all hot and bothered. As soon as he sees what's going on he immediately starts screaming and telling the pulley operator to lower the pterosaur skeleton.

"What are you doing? I haven't performed the weight bearing test yet."

Two seconds after he says the word "yet", everyone in the room hears a cracking sound. I look up and I see the last two bolts give way and the fossil fall to the floor.

"Everybody run," Duke yells.

The girl doesn't move. She doesn't see a way escape. I see the tail of the fossil swing precariously close to her. I jump from behind the plastic plants and pull the girl back. The tail of the fossil crashes to the floor. It lands in the same spot where the young girl was standing and splinters into pieces. The girl screams "ow". We look each other in the eyes and we both sense a flicker of recognition. Before I can say anything to the girl, the woman and Duke rush over and scoop her up in their arms.

"Are you okay sweetheart?"

"My leg, it hurts she cries. I think a bone splinter hit me in the leg."

"The woman turns to me. "Thank you so much but you shouldn't be in here. How did you get in here?"

I'm about to explain but Duke interrupts.

"Harmony she's bleeding, you need to get her to the hospital. I'll call her dad and explain what happened. He's going rip us both a new one." Harmony shakes her head up and down and runs out the door with the girl in her arms.

"How did you get in here," Duke asks me? What you did was incredibly brave and incredibly stupid. You could have been hurt or killed. What's your name kid? How did you get in here?"

"Fitzgerald sir. I got separated from my class while looking for a restroom. I came in here looking for the FossiLab."

"Well Fitzgerald you are the hero of the day. You saved that girl's life." Duke calls over one of the assembly crew. "Greg here is going to take you to the FossiLab and smooth things over with your teacher. I'm sure your teacher is looking for you."

"Yes sir."

Lying on the floor where the girl fell is a broken necklace with a ring attached. I pick up the necklace and examine the ring. Immediately I recognize the ring. I run to door where the woman ran out with the girl for the hospital. I open the door and look up and down the hallway searching for the girl. I can't believe it after all these years. "Olivia", I shout.

"Okay kid let's go." Greg grabs me by the shoulder and ushers me out of the room.

"Stop, did you hear that?"

"Hear what honey?"

"Someone called my name."

"No honey. I didn't hear anything."

"But, I'm sure I…"

* * *

 _Three Years Ago, the Day After Skunking Henry_

Next day I go to tell Olivia not to worry about Henry any more. I take the steps two at a time as usual and knock on the door. Lucila opens the door slowly, her eyes are red, I can she has been crying.

"Hi is Olivia home?" Lucila tells me Olivia's mother passed away during the night.

"The family left early this morning to make arrangements. Hold on a minute," she says. She leaves the door for a minute and comes back with an envelope. She hands me the letter and tells me it is from Olivia.

I open the letter and read while she holds the door open watching me.

 ** _Dear Fitz and Jake,_**

 ** _Thank you for the flowers. My mom loved them. We sat on the porch the rest of the day talking and looking out at the ocean._ _We laughed, talked about boys and ate the fruit you left. It was the most fun we had had in a long time. I will never forget this day._ ** A tearstain precedes the next line. **_She died at sunset, looking out at the waves with a smile on her face._** Another tearstain. **_Thank you for helping my family. I will never forget you._**

 ** _Your friend Olivia._**

Lucila, steps out unto the porch to give me a hug. "Thank you for what you did. Olivia was so happy and proud to when she came back in the house yesterday to tell everyone the porch was ready. You and your friend are the best kind of people. I pray you never change because your heart is as big as the sky." She hugs me again.

"Thank you ma'am. Will you tell Olivia I am so sorry for her loss."

"I will." Lucila steps goes back into the house and closes the door.

I start to walk away, but turn back suddenly. I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring I won for Olivia and a crayon. Taking Olivia's letter out of the envelope, I put the ring in. I cross out my name and write Olivia on the front of the envelope. On the inside of the flap, I write, "remember me". I knock on the door again and hand the envelope to Lucila.

"Can you make sure Olivia gets this?"

"I sure will sweet boy. You take care now."

"You too."

That night Jake and I light paper sky lanterns for Olivia and her family with the help of my mom. We watch as the dozen or so lanterns float above the ocean and sail into the night sky.

"Do you think this will help mom?"

"Many cultures have been doing this ritual for hundreds of years son, so I'm pretty sure it must alleviate some of the pain and sorrow that comes with losing a loved one. Trust and believe that for your friend, okay."

"Okay," I say hugging my mom around the waist. She hugs me back, then leaves me and Jake sitting on the beach alone.

We both shed a tear for Olivia and her mother.

"I like her. I hope we see her again."

"So do I. So do I."

* * *

AN – Did I bring a tear to your eye again? Hope so. Fitz, Olivia and Jake have a special connection. They want to be in one another's life as friends; supportive, "I've your back" type friends.

Mellie, Mellie, Mellie, the girl is twelve and already has issues. Obviously, her parents made her drink the Kool-aid from time she was on the bottle because has been after Fitz for a few years. Do you think she put something in the cookies or is she just a terrible cook?

Have a great week.


	5. Chapter 5

Tri-Olitz

Chapter 5

Welcome Home

Olivia's POV - _Be Prepared_

Considering I'm a CIA analyst you'd think the information the PTSD specialist was providing would be routine or old hat but it's not. This isn't some faceless patient from a research study or a troubled homeless vet he's are talking about, it's my Fitz, my heart and soul. I've read all the medical journals and military reports but hearing the doctor go over the symptoms as they pertain to someone I love is unsettling to say the least. I suddenly feel inadequate and inept. How do I fix this? How do I help Fitz? How do I take away his pain? How do I get my Fitz back?

"I want you all to understand Captain Grant's physical recovery has been remarkable and I attribute this to the incredible support you have given him. However, let me be clear, while his physical healing has been atypical, I don't anticipate the next stage of his recovery going as smoothly. Psychological healing is a protracted process even under the best of circumstances. The trauma of being shot down, fighting to avoid capture, his subsequent torture and captivity will affect his psyche for an undetermined duration. Admittedly, his time in captivity was relatively short, but the gravity of the psychological abuse in terms of his absolute loss of control, the constant threat of death and the feeling of despair leave deep emotional scars regardless of its brevity. The psychology effects of torture are far worse than the physical. The mind naturally, as defense mechanism, blocks out harmful or painful memories and experiences. You'll find during his initial days at home he will seem completely normal, seemingly unscathed by his ordeal. Nevertheless, I caution you, his casual behavior is only temporary and you need to prepare yourselves to deal with the broad spectrum of emotions the captain will eventually undergo."

Jake, sensing my growing concern decides to speed the discussion along by asking questions. "What should we be on the lookout for? What can we do to help him?

"All of you must recognize torture is the most horrendous form of interpersonal violence. It is an assault on the body as well as the mind. PTSD sufferers experience depression, social withdrawal, anhedonia, confusion, nightmares, insomnia and I could go on but you get the general idea."

"Yes", we all say together nodding our heads.

"Doctor what is anhedonia", Huck asks.

"It is the inability to derive enjoyment from normally pleasurable activities like exercise, hobbies, entertainment, music, sexual activity or social interaction." The doctor looks at me sympathetically seeing Jake give me a supportive side hug.

"Under no circumstances can you allow him to ignore what he has gone through or what he is feeling. Families tend to be reluctant to encourage the survivor to talk about his or her experiences and feelings. They unwittingly use politesse around the PTSD sufferer assuming avoidance is the quickest route back to normalcy. Families also become preoccupied with safety and forego activities they believe will acerbate the patient's physical injuries. However, these maladaptive coping behaviors reinforce the sufferer's symptoms and pain creating a cycle of mutual maintenance. This results in the survivor suffering in silence, trapped in memories they feel they cannot share. You need to encourage the captain talk about anything and everything he is feeling. He needs assurance he is in a safe nonjudgmental environment rather than a stygian one, in doing so you reduce the chance of psychological avoidance.

"Nonjudgmental? Why would he think we would judge him?"

"He thinks he failed to complete his mission because he lost a very expensive piece of naval property and he was captured. Guilt, Ms. Pope, guilt is lurking in the recesses of his mind and it will rise to the surface at some point. He will feel as if he is a complete failure."

I know all this but I can't help but voice my disbelief.

"As irrational as it sounds it is the reality of PTSD. Survivors convince themselves that their failure to be strong enough, or to turn left when they should have turned right, is the reason for predicament. The obsession with second guessing their actions is typical of the syndrome."

The doctor goes on for a bit longer but all I can think about is getting Fitz home and showing him how much I love him and how proud I am of him.

* * *

 _The Night Fitz Comes Home_

The drive from the hospital to our house is quiet except for the occasional comment on the unseasonably warm weather or the newest argument waging between the octogenarian vegan nudists next door. I hold Fitz's hand while navigating the quaint tree-lined streets leading to our 19th century Fairfax County home, thirty minutes outside of Langley. I turn into our driveway and shut off the engine. The thud of the automatic door locks unlocking echoes in the stillness. I start to pull away to open my door but Fitz retakes my hand and kisses it. He holds my hand to his lips for a couple of minutes then places my palm on his cheek. His eyes closed, he rocks backs and forth holding my palm in place. I place my other hand on Fitz's face and lean in to give an affectionate kiss. I press my brow against his and in unison we take a deep breath.

"You're going to be all right Fitz; we're going to be all right I promise."

"I know…I know. I just want you to know I love you so much Livvie." I gently pull away from our tender embrace but I notice Fitz keeps his head down, his lips now on my wrist.

"Fitz look at me my love." Fitz lifts his head to meet her concerned sparkling brown eyes.

"I have never, nor will I ever doubt your love for me and I hope the same holds true for you. Fitz you are my world, my life, my everything." Fitz nods in agreement and gives me a passionate kiss.

"You're my everything too Livvie."

"Better be, you've been chasing me since I was seven." We both laugh, kiss again and head to the front door.

Cheers and streamers greet Fitz and Olivia the moment they walk into the house. Fitz's arm is still in a sling to protect his shoulder and the black and blue bruising from the repeated punches to his face are barely noticeable. Their friends eagerly encircle them patiently taking turns hugging Fitz. He greets each friend warmly and thanks them for their concern and for coming out to welcome him home. The gathering lasts about an hour or so; no one wants to overtax Fitz, so after a couple of speeches, a few drinks and hors d'oeuvre everyone leaves except Jake and Huck.

* * *

The four friends each take a seat around the dining room table. "We've both been subpoenaed to appear before the joint special internal investigations committee," Jake informs Fitz and Olivia.

"At least they waited until Fitz was out of the hospital. I'm sure I have Cyrus to thank for that," Olivia responds.

"Guys, how bad is it? How many laws did you break to carry out my rescue?"

"Don't worry Fitz, we've got it handled," Olivia assures.

"What do you mean it's handled? The resources brought to bear for an operation of this size cannot be hidden Liv."

"And yet we did," she says smiling at Huck and Jake.

"How?"

"Let's just say I took legitimate components of already existing or planned missions and cobbled them together for what we needed to accomplish out task. Technically, I did not falsify any orders or initiate an unsanctioned op. The appropriate sign-offs and approvals were already in place. The only rogue element in this operation was me. I'm not a field agent, I'm an analyst, a damn good analyst, who executed the rescue of a highly prized asset." Olivia reaches across the table for Fitz's hand.

"Huck and Jake were scheduled to do work in Afghanistan anyway."

"Livvie...your career...is probably over."

"Maybe, maybe not, either way it's okay Fitz. My three years are up anyway but trust me they are not going to do anything remotely harsh to the fiancé of a celebrated hero."

"Wait, hero, what are talking about?"

"We kind of took out a weapons depot on our way out, so the navy and the other intelligence agencies are giving you, Jake and Huck credit for our little snatch and grab mission."

"No Livvie, it's not right. The accolades belong to the three of you. I'm the pilot who managed to destroy a 40 million dollar fighter jet and get himself captured in the process."

"Stop it Fitz. Stop it right now. Don't you ever downplay or disparage what you did over there. You accomplished your mission. Your surveillance photos prove ISIS has acquired illegal Russian munitions. Your evasive maneuvering deep into a known ISIS stronghold distracted the hostiles long enough for a strike team to eliminate a few key higher-ups. We used your aerial surveillance photos to take out the depot."

"Livvie...you deserve credit for what you did."

"It's okay Fitz, we're a team. All that matters to me is that you are home and safe. I"m an analyst, my role in this mission was to inform and advise and that is what the official record will reflect. You deserve acknowledgment, all of my boys do. You haven't forgotten what we are Fitz." Fitz looks at Olivia pensively.

"Fitz, answer me please baby."

"We're a team," he shyly admits.

"And?"

"If one wins or is promoted we both are because we are in this together."

"Fitz all the awards in the world mean nothing to me without you. I've already received the best reward; you home and safe." She kisses and squeezes his hand.

"Livvie it's not right."

"I'll be reprimanded at the least and fired at the most. If I'm fired I probably won't be able to list the agency on my resume after this little stunt. So worst case scenario, I start Olivia Pope and Associates earlier than expected."

"Sweetheart..."

"Fitz don't worry I will be fine. We have always promised to have each other's back. Since I was seven you've always been the one to save me, it was my turn and I have no regrets about my actions to get you back or fear of the consequences from those actions. If I had to sneak onto the deck of a destroyer and steal a jet I would have. Well maybe not steal, but I would have definitely borrowed one and had it detailed and gassed up before returning it."

The friends all laugh but they know Olivia is not joking. She will go to any lengths to protect her boys, especially Fitz.

"What about you two? Any indication of what the committee has in store for you?" Fitz asks.

"It's true, Huck and I were already scheduled to be Afghanistan on separate missions. We have written orders detailing our assignment changes. The reassignments are authentic top-level covert op orders. Any investigation into the origin of the new orders will get murky but not before pointing to higher-ups in the CIA, NSA or Naval intelligence chain of command. Plausible deniability my man, plausible deniability. It will take months if not years for the agencies to figure out which one sanctioned the operation thanks to our resident computer Yoda here." Jake side hugs Huck.

"You guys are amazing. A man could not ask for better friends or life partner. I love you all." Fitz stands to embrace Jake and Huck, being careful not to jar his sling arm. The teary-eyed men hug for a few minutes before Olivia moves to break up the hugfest.

"Okay you two scram. I need to give my man a proper welcome home," Olivia playfully chides wiggling her eyebrows.

Fitz scampers to open the front door. "Gentlemen, always a pleasure, however, you need to leave now!"

"Well Huck my friend it appears we have overstayed our welcome. Let's leave these two lovebirds alone."

Olivia kisses Jake and Huck goodbye and Fitz gives them a final hug.

"We'll drop in a couple days. Glad to have you back safe man," Huck tells Fitz.

"Thanks Huck, I mean for everything."

"No thanks necessary. Take care of him Liv."

"I will," she says closing the door.

 _Fitz POV_

After closing the door, Olivia starts to clean up. I can't help but grin at my Livvie busily moving around the room picking up dip smeared plates, crumpled napkins and half filled plastic cups. She heads for the kitchen. I stand at the doorway looking at her dump the paper goods into the trash. She turns and I'm right behind her, "this can wait until tomorrow, I want to shower and go to bed." I caress her face with my unslung hand and bend down to kiss her. The kiss is slow and gentle. She wraps her arms around my neck to deepen the kiss and my arm drops down to pull her body flush with mine. My body is aflame with desire; I want her in every possible way. I rub our noses together then let my lips travel down her cheek to her neck. Her moans, oh god, the sound of her moaning drives me crazy.

I take her by the hand, lead her to our bedroom and close the door. Olivia goes into the bathroom to turn on the water. During her brief absence, I begin to undress. I kick off my shoe and nearly break the porcelain vase on the parson's table on the other side of the room in the process. I exercise a little more caution with my other shoe and toe it off. I'm shaking all over and struggling to loosen my belt buckle with one hand. Olivia reenters the room and rushes over to me.

"Babe hold on, let me help you."

She unbuckles my belt, unbuttons my pants and drops to her knees. I use her shoulder for balance, lean forward and step out of my pants and briefs after she pulls them down to my ankles. "Geez Fitz you're going to poke my eye out with that thing." Olivia exclaims teasingly. My penis is on its way to full attention. We both laugh and she gives my erection a quick peck, then stands to give me a soft kiss on the lips. She removes my sling and I stretch my arm. I really don't need the sling but after physical therapy I find my shoulder aches less if I wear it. We take off my shirt and toss it on the floor next to my pants.

"Your turn," I tell her. With a mischievous smile, she seductively starts removing her clothing. When she's finish, Olivia poses demurely before me naked save the necklace and ring we have shared for the last 17 years. That two-dollar claw machine brass ring with fake rubies is the tangible confirmation our souls are inextricably tied together. It is our cosmic shadcan, our _fait accompli_. Throughout our lives, at every chance encounter that simple ring has kept our hearts linked until the day we could be together. The ring is the talisman symbolically guarding our serendipitous begins and preordained destiny.

We stand at the dresser staring at each other in the mirror. I love her so much. When I was captured, all I could think about was getting back to her. Through the beatings and the torture, I kept my mind filled with visions of her, of us together. My memories of her were my refuge, my go-to happy place that enabled me to endure the pain and remain strong.

I can tell from the dim in her eyes that she is worried about me. Her gaze is probing; she is searching for something, some sign that I'm completely all right or ready to share my story. I want to be open but feel tense and uncertain. We've avoided the conversation about my experience so far and for reasons I don't quite understand I want to delay the discussion for as long as possible. I want tell her what happened. I need to tell her, get it off my chest and out of my mind. Olivia is my best friend and I know I can share my innermost thoughts with her without the fear of judgment or recrimination.

I'm pulled from my introspective thoughts when she takes the ring, kisses it and moves to place it on my jewelry butler. I take the hand holding the ring and kiss it too before she places it on the tray. We smile at each other, happy to be sharing our unspoken ritual again.

* * *

Flashback

 _Olivia's Freshman Year, the National High School Debate Conference in NYC_

"Liv we're going to catch a cab to the debate, Ms. Plimpton says the transport shuttle broke down on its way here and the replacement won't get here time.

"The subway is only a block away and would be faster."

"Yeah maybe but Ms. Plimpton doesn't want us to get lost or subway sweaty."

"Okay, let's go across the street so we're headed in the right direction. Last thing we need is some fare pumping taxi driver trying to rip us off."

"You see that's why I like you Pope always thinking ahead. I bet you have at least three routes to the school already memorized," Abby says.

"Yes I do thanks to Huck."

"What is it with you two? He was a loner and an odd duck until he hooked up with you. Now you two are peat and repeat."

"Ha, ha, very funny Abs, no one ever took the time to get to know him. He is really smart, funny and a sweetheart. He's a great friend."

"I know, I know, he's my friend too thanks to you. I wish he were here; he could help us sneak off and explore the city. Old Grandma Dyson over there is not _a "seize the day"_ type of gal."

Unfortunately, Abby, my cousin Harrison and I drew the short straw and got Preston Academy's oldest living chaperon, Gertrude Dyson; the woman has to be 90 years old. She smells like tiger balm mixed with peppermint and can barely walk but she has superhuman hearing and mad spidey senses.

We jaywalk cross the street to hail a cab in front of a swanky hotel. We're in luck, a father and son are arriving just as we get there. The door to the cab swings open and we can hear the two in the middle of a heated argument. They pay no attention to us and after a couple of minutes, the son bolts out of the cab almost knocking poor Mrs. Dyson over. He apologizes as he makes his way past us heading toward the hotel. We make eye contact for a brief second and smile. There is something familiar about the son. He's tall with gel tamed curly brown hair and haunting blue eyes. For a minute, I think I know him but I have no time to ponder the connection because we need to get the debate. The father pays the cab driver and we quickly pile into the cab after he exits. I get in last, plop down but I immediately hop up because something sharp jabs me in butt. I reach behind me to retrieve the sharp object and I can't believe what I sat on. It's my ring, the ring Fitz gave me, the one I lost in the museum four years ago. Oh my god, that would mean the boy who saved me was Fitz. No,no, no…it's impossible. Or is it? Was the voice I heard calling my name Fitz? Could it really be…no, things like this never happen in real life. But this is the same gold chain my mother gave me before she died. Her initials are etched on the clasp. It's the same brass ring with the one missing fake ruby. The cab begins to pull away and I can hear the young man's voice shouting, "stop that cab". I turn to look out the back window and I see the young man running towards the cab waving his hands. No, it can't be. He's tall and so handsome. I roll down the window and lean out with the necklace in my hand.

"Ms. Pope what are you doing, sit down," Mrs. Dyson orders.

I pay no attention to her because I have to know if the young man is Fitz.

"Fitz", I yell holding up the ring. The young man stops, then starts running toward me.

"Olivia" he yells.

I scream, "Stop the cab, stop the cab."

"Olivia we can't we'll be late, plus we've already pulled away." Harrison says.

"Olivia," Fitz shouts again.

"Olivia who is that guy", Abby asks.

I lean out the window further holding the ring to my lips. "I remember Fitz, I remember you," I shout back.

"Olivia, oh god Olivia", Fitz yells.

Our cab merges into a sea of yellow cabs and disappears into traffic. Fitz stops running, he stands at the curb, and his hand is reaching out to me. I fall back onto the seat, kiss the ring again and put the necklace around my neck. I start crying and curse fate for close encounters of the unrequited kind

Flashback Fitz's POV

I stop in front of the revolving bronze and glass door of the hotel. After arguing with my father about taking Mellie to her junior prom, I feel the need to put on the necklace. I always carry the ring with me and when I argue with my dad, which happens quite often these days, wearing the ring calms me down. I reach into my front pocket for the necklace but it's not there. I frantically rummage through my jacket and pants; it was here earlier, where could I have lost it. The cab, I was holding it my hand in the cab. I turn around to run back to the cab. My dad tries to grab my arm but I sidestep his grasp.

"Stop that cab" I shout to the bellman. He holds the door to the cab in front of him open.

"Not that one the other one", I yell.

I run past him trying to reach the cab I was just in. I'm almost to the cab when a young woman leans out the window. She has the ring in her hand. "Fitz", she yells holding up the ring. I stop dead in my tracks. Olivia, it's Olivia, that's why she looked familiar.

"Olivia", I shout back and start running towards her. I see her kiss the ring, then she shouts, "I remember Fitz, I remember you." I stop running once I reach the curb, not realizing my hand is outstretched to her until another cab pulls up to me asking where I'm headed. This is the second time we've been together and not known it. I have faith there will be a third time and that third time will be the charm.

* * *

 _The Present, Olivia's POV_

He looks at me with such desire in his eyes the anticipation of his amorous touch is enough to give me an orgasm. I can sense what he wants to do to me and it stirs an unquenchable fire in all my erogenous zones. My body trembles and my womanly region is dripping wet. The air in the room grows thick and heavy. "Livvie", he whispers, beckoning me to him. I slowly move toward him desperately trying to keep my own desire in restraint because all I want to do is pounce on him like a panther and show him how I've missed him, how much I love, him, how much I need him. The bruising on his face is almost gone. A few broken capillaries remain but all in all my handsome Fitz is intact. Our kiss is long deep and probing. We suck lips to the point of chafing. Our tongues eagerly reacquaint themselves and search for undiscovered points of contact. He tastes of strawberries, ranch dip and a hint of pale ale. I'll get on him about drinking while on meds later, for now I don't want to talk I want to feel. I want to be as close as possible to my friend and lover. I need to feel his mouth gliding over my skin. I need his large hands fondling my breasts and gripping my hips. I need his ample manhood deep inside of me pounding away, bringing me to the brink. I need him to consume me with a passion that makes me scream, see stars and lose my mind in rapturous bliss. I need him. My desire for him is not steeped in lust, it is a need for sensual communion born from unconditional love.

 _Fitz's POV_

I kiss the ring and place it on the butler. Her skin, her perfume and the smell of her hair is intoxicating. I kiss her and she leans back into me. I massage her breasts, twisting her nipples like the tumbler on a safe. She whimpers succumbing to my touch. I'll save the foreplay for later, right now I just want to be inside of her, I want to connect with her. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I bend her forward slightly. "Open for me baby", I whisper her ear. She widens her stance and I enter slowly from behind. I almost ejaculate upon becoming fully sheathed within her; the magnificent contracting of her welcoming inner walls sends a euphoric jolt of pleasure throughout my body as I slide in and out of the folds of her warm slick texture. I am home at last making love to my soulmate and it feels heavenly. I pump in and out slowly at first, and then settle on a thrusting pace comfortable to both of us. Her hips buffet backward and forward meeting me stroke for stroke. She braces her hands against the edge of the dresser. We purr together in unison as we approach climax. She falls back against my chest and I bite and lick the lobe of her ear. She cranes her neck so that our tongues can engage in a frenzied oral dance. My stomach begins to tighten and my urge to release overtakes me. I explode within her and I keep cumming as her walls constrict, milking me for all I'm worth. I sense no end to my orgasm, I'm out of control, I can't stop ramming into her, she can't stop squeezing and pulling me in. Our ecstasy is raw, pure and transcendent. We're both screaming I love you as our bodies erupt in an explosive crescendo. We stand hunched over using the dresser for support, panting, trying to catch our breath. She twists her body to give me a toe-curling kiss. I'm still inside of her. I don't want to detach from her. I need...we need this connection to last a little longer. I move her hair away from her neck so I have greater access to kiss and lick her buttery soft skin. I walk us backward until my legs bump into our bed, then I gently ease us down, mindful to maintain our sexual link. We sit down, her sumptuous folds are open and exposed as her legs dangle on each side of mine. I drag my tongue along her spine and rub her moist swollen clit, eliciting breathless whispers of my name that push my arousal button and make me rock hard in an instant. I lift her off my lap, lay her on the bed and get on top of her. I forget the pain in my shoulder as I intertwine our fingers above her head and enter her again. Her hips buck to meet my rhythmic pounding. She takes my left nipple between her teeth and alternates between sucking and biting. The feel of her teeth and moist heat of her mouth on my nub makes my balls retract. Our gaze remains fixed and our eyes fill with happy blissful tears. Neither of us can look away, we couldn't even if we wanted to, our desire for connection is too great. We fall over the cliff again lost in the joy of our oneness.

"God I love you Livvie. I cannot image my life without you."

She caresses my face and kisses me softly.

"Good thing you never will have to."

"Thank Olivia for being the love of my life."

"My pleasure, my heart and soul", she says resting her head on my chest.

"Fitz, what's that noise?"

"What noise?"

We both sit up. Bubbles are seeping from under the bathroom door.

"Liv, did you turn on the shower or the tub?"

"Shit! Grab some towels."

* * *

A/N- Fitz and Olivia have a magical tie that keeps bringing them together and each encounter strengthens their invisible bond. Olivia and Huck are couple smart cookies don't you think? They could teach the military a few tricks. LOL

I love the friendship between Olivia and "her boys", don't you?

Don't worry, Fitz will recover completely with the help of Olivia, Jake and Huck.

There are probably only three or four more chapters to this story, it was only meant to be a short, "help me get over the direction of show" story. The next chapter will cover Olitz meeting as adults.

Scandal may have destroyed Olitz but I promise to keep writing them as I believe they should be written – strong, committed and faithful; that's what I tuned in for and that's what I hope will become a revelation to writers as some point.

I posted a sneak peek of Desert Princess on Tumblr.

post/134332382334/desert-princess-chapter-25-sneak-peek

The link is also on Twitter.

Until next time, thank you for reviewing, following and favoriting. Take care and Happy Holidays.


	6. Christmas Bonus Chapter

I just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. I hope your day was filled with warm hugs, full plates, stuffed bellies, children's laughter, ugly Christmas sweaters and tons of love.

AN – This chapter is not part of my original outline for this story. I wanted to do a Christmas one-shot and this idea popped into my head after I learned there has not been a full moon on Christmas day in 38 years. The idea fits the story, so I decided to incorporate it. I hope you enjoy it.

Tri-Olitz

Christmas Bonus Chapter

 _ **Christmas Eve, Grant Compound Santa Barbara California**_

Mellie bursts through the heavy oak and glass patio doors fighting back tears of frustration. Having spent an hour in vain trying to convince Fitz to take her to her senior prom her nerves are frazzled and her cheeks rash red from the nippy night air. Mellie is nothing if not persistent. She has her sights set on the ultimate prize and his name is Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III. He is her ticket to greatness. She chalks up his constant rejection of her affection as teenage rebellion against parental authority. Big Gerry has a plan for the two of them and Fitz is simply hellbent on throwing a monkey wrench into the whole works. His move toward independence is growing by leaps and bounds the nearer his departure date for college approaches. He is determined to chart his own path. Today it's giving the middle finger to Big Gerry's idea of them becoming a couple, tomorrow it will be something else. Undeterred by Fitz's refusal to escort her, she makes a beeline to Big Gerry to enlist his aid in making Fitz see the light.

 _ **Mellie's POV**_

Big Gerry and Minerva Grant stand by the huge stone fireplace in the living room talking to influential old money Republican Party supporters. Christmas marks the annual gathering of the party faithful who want to give Santa Grant their legislative wish list for the upcoming year. The living room is awash with clusters of small groups of mainly men, engaging in inappropriate jokes, smoking expensive cigars and chugging triple shots of smooth aged bourbon.

We'll just see what Big Gerry has to say about skipping my prom. I refuse to take no for an answer from Fitz any longer. We are going to be couple. I know it, my parents know it, Big Gerry knows it and it's time for Fitz to accept it. It's time for our love story to start taking shape. I wish our first romantic appearance had been at his winter formal. It would have been perfect, Fitz and I, in the gazebo, wrapped in each other's arms, swaying to the music under the stars in full-view of everyone. Curse that interloping troll Jake for spoiling that plan with his every teenage boy's dream date. How he managed to get those Victoria's Secret twin models to go to the formal with he and Fitz is beyond me. When I told Big Gerry, he just laughed and told me not worry, that there will always be another occasion. Well that occasion has arrived and Fitz is not going to spoil it for me.

I politely interrupt the grown-up talk to tattle on Fitz. "Pardon me Big Gerry, so sorry to intrude but I think there is something wrong with Fitz."

"Gerry we'll talk later", Peter Winthrop of Winthrop Oil and Gas suggests. "You go attend to your son".

"Nonsense Peter, Minerva will go see about the boy, won't cha darlin'?

Glad to escape the pretentious fawning and discussions of self-serving proposals masked as projects for the public good, Minerva quickly excuses herself to go look after Fitz. "Gentlemen, it has been a pleasure as always." The Slick Willy bluebloods smile at Minerva and resume their conversation with Big Gerry.

"Where is he Mellie?"

"In the backyard sitting on his stup...on his bench". That was close; I almost let it slip what I think of his favorite spot in the backyard.

I begin to follow Minerva to backyard but she stops me and says she'll take it from here. I don't think she likes me. She and Fitz never talk around me. I wonder if Fitz is telling her lies about me. I'll have to remember to be extra sweet around her. I can't afford to be at odds with my future in-law until after the wedding, then who cares.

"Oh, okay. I'll be inside with my parents. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help Mrs. Grant". I grab her hand to show my sincerity.

Minerva pats my hand. "No, dear, it's Christmas Eve; go enjoy yourself with the other young people. I'm sure Jake will introduce you to Fitz's other friends." _Is she kidding? She has to know Jake hates my guts. In fact, he has made it his personal mission in life to keep Fitz away me and away from their friends._

I cough. "Sure thing Mrs. Grant; I think I'll do that." _Not!_

 _ **Fitz's POV**_

This is my favorite part of the compound. Here I can be alone with my thoughts and my sketchbook. This is where I can escape the dog and pony show that goes along with the only son of the two-time governor, four-term senator from the great state of California. Cloaked in the evening's chill, I was really enjoying the quiet solitude of this amazing full moon lit night; that was until crazy Mellie showed up.

God, Mellie is annoying. Whatever nonsense Big Gerry has filled her head with; I don't want any part of it. I've had enough exposure to politics to last a lifetime. There is nothing in for me; at least not in my father's brand of politics. Big Gerry's public personae is open and inclusionary, he seems the consummate man for and of the people. However, in private it is altogether different story. He works the seedy underbelly of political gamesmanship, quietly going tit for tat with his opponents and scratching the back of his allies. His backroom deal making will one day lead to his downfall and I for one will dance a jig on that day. I may be his biological son because of an errant sperm but that is where the familial tie ends. I will not let that man live his unfulfilled dreams vicariously through me. He chose the life he wanted to live and he does not get a second bite at the apple with me.

"Penny for your thoughts."

"Mom. What are you doing out here? The party cannot possibly be over this early".

"Mellie said you were ill. I came to check on you".

"I'm fine mom. By ill Mellie means, I have shot down her latest desperate advance. She honestly thinks me not wanting her is a type of sickness. Can you believe that? I mean… really…is it possibly to be conceited and lack self-esteem at the same time? She knows I find her repulsive, yet she refuses to take no for an answer. Why does she keep trying to catch my interest? Mellie is a stalker; a full on blueblood, prep-school debutante, man chasing stalker."

Laughing, I unconsciously glide my fingers in circles across the front of my sketchbook.

My mom looks at me sympathetically. We've avoided the Mellie issue for years because I was younger and Mellie's clingy way could be brushed off as an innocent crush, but we're older now, about to go to college and Mellie's obsession with me is reaching the restraining order level.

"Mellie has bought into your dad's and her father's dream of the White House and a legendary political dynasty. To Mellie you are the prince who will eventually become king and she will do anything to become your queen".

I sigh in exasperation. "Mom I don't want to go into politics, well at least not dad's type of politics. I really want to help people not those who are out for financial gain".

"You have a good heart son, never lose it. Your dad has big dreams for you but they are his dreams not yours. It will be difficult for him to let go and let you live you own life. He won't make it easy for you. Your dad is a full-time politician both inside and outside of the home. He expects you to follow his orders like any other staffer".

"I'm his son mom not someone on his payroll!"

"I am aware of that fact Fitzgerald; I'm simply trying to give you insight into your father's mindset. Your father has many regrets and thinks he can rectify his errors through you".

"Sorry mom. It's just…I…I…can't, I won't. He has already taken so much from me mom."

"I know son, I know. I am sorry I haven't run more interference for you or put my foot down more often. But you're leaving soon and I am so proud you're leaving without needing your father's assistance. You earned a full four-year scholarship to Harvard; your ticket to freedom. He cannot use his money to control or threaten you. Well played son, well played."

"Thanks mom". We sit smiling, staring at the moon for few minutes, unsure of where to direct our conversation next.

"May I look through your sketchbook?"

I grip my sketchbook and move it to the other side of my lap. Jake is the only person I've let see this particular sketchbook. It's my Olivia sketchbook, my visual diary.

Surprised by my reluctance my mom asks, "Is it a book of nudes?"

"Mom!" I screech and she laughs.

"Well if it is not filled with nudes it must be all about a particular girl. Am I right?"

I nod in agreement and hand her the book.

 _ **Minerva's POV**_

Fitz is a good son. I need to be supportive of his push for independence. What kind of mother am I if let Gerry force my son into a relationship of misery and hate? Mellie is an opportunistic hussy. I supposed that's why Gerry likes her so much. If I do nothing else for Fitz I will make sure Mellie doesn't get the chance to sink her claws into him.

I take the sketchbook from him and skim through the pages. The book starts off with sketches of a little girl sitting in front of a beach house, then dinosaurs, then an older girl sitting on the floor in tears. It's amazing, it's the same girl at different ages. Intermixed between the images of the girl are pictures of Jake, a ring, hearts and smiley faces. The middle of book is replete with the eyes of young women, their lips, fingers, hands and brows. I look closer and realize the sketches are not of different young women, just one. The eyes are particularly captivating, possessing a mesmerizing intensity. The last two pages leave me speechless. The first page is a complete portrait of a young woman, maybe sixteen. She's beautiful, brown doe eyes, full pouty lips, unblemished brown skin, an adorable regal nose and inviting smile. I can tell she is the composite of the prior individually sketched facial features. The last picture is a self-portrait combined with the previous portrait of the young woman. Written at an angle in the bottom corner of the page in cursive is the name Olitz.

"Fitz, who is the young woman in the sketch?"

Instead of answering my question, he asks me a question.

"Mom, do you believe in fate? I mean, do you believe in soulmates?"

"Honestly Fitz, I want to believe such a thing exists but I don't know; why? Do you believe this girl is your soulmate?"

Fitz staring up at the moon replies, "yes I do. I can't explain it but I can feel her staring up at the moon right now same as me and I know she's thinking about me just as I am thinking of her."

"Fitz I don't understand, you've never mentioned this girl before. What is her name? Where is she from? Does she attend school with you? How come you've never brought her around?" Fitz turns to me and shares his story of miracle meetings. I have to say his theory of soulmates is definitely plausible given the circumstances.

"Mom, Olivia is my future I'm certain of it. I am on this planet at this time and place to love her and only her. I know it beyond a shadow of a doubt."

The passion of Fitz's conviction is awe-inspiring. His beyond his years maturity and confidence is what every mother wants to see in their child. Protecting the man Fitz is destined to become is paramount to me now.

"Son, don't worry about Mellie and your dad. I'll take care of those two. You may have to do a little play acting from time to time but in the end I guarantee you will be free to be with Olivia".

"Thanks mom".

"I think the temperature is dropping, time to head in".

"Sure mom, I just want to be alone for a few more minutes".

"I understand. I'll see if I can find someone to distract your stalker".

We both laugh and I kiss my son on the nose. "Not too long, okay?"

"Okay".

 _ **Gaithersburg Maryland, Christmas Eve**_

 _ **Olivia's POV**_

I feel so silly. Am I really sitting here wishing on a star? For some reason I have not been able to get Fitz out of mind for last three days. I wonder where he is. I wonder what he is doing. I wonder who he is with. Since my mother died we've never gone back to the Hamptons, it's too painful. Maybe if I had gone back I could have gone to his house or at least found out his last name so I could contact him. It's more than mere coincidence that we've crossed paths twice and not known it. We're connected in some way; a very good way I believe. Our futures are inextricably linked. I feel it. I know it.

"Olivia what are doing out here in the freezing cold? Your grandmother is going to pitch a fit if you come down with something."

"Dad I'm wearing a jacket and gloves, I'm not cold."

"That still doesn't explain why you are out here".

"I needed a break from the Pope clan. I love our family but at times, it is a bit overwhelming. There has to be forty people in there not including the kids".

My dad comes to sit next to me on the porch swing. He can sense my desire for solitude has nothing to do with my extended family.

"I miss her too sweetheart. I thought after a few years it would get easier and it has in some respects but during the holidays, everything reminds me of her. Your mother lived for the holidays. It was her favorite time of year and she made every day of the holiday season special. The decorations, the food, the little daily holiday trivia notes she would paste on our bathroom mirrors."

"Don't forget the colors of the week clothing assignments. _Olivia Halloween is this week. You need to wear orange or pumpkin every day this week, no reason to wait until the 31_ _st_ _to be festive_ , she'd say". We both chuckle as we reminisce.

"Your cousin Dora says you've been preoccupied since you came back from the mall. She says you disappeared from the group for an hour. Where did you go?"

Will he understand if I tell him the truth? I barely understand what happened myself. The only word to explain what happened is compulsion. I woke up three days ago obsessed with Fitz's face. I dreamed of his face. I brushed my teeth and saw his penetrating blue eyes staring back at me in the mirror. I passed by the sliding glass doors and I saw his reflection not my own. Either he was trying to send me a message or I was going crazy. I had to get his face out of my mind. When I went to the mall with my cousins, I noticed a couple of caricature artists setting up shop. Half way through the family shopping extravaganza I slipped away and had a portrait drawn of Fitz.

 _Flashback_

" _Ah, fair maiden, will you allow me the pleasure of capturing your beauty on my humble canvas?"_

" _Actually, I was wondering if I describe someone to you, do you think you can recreate his image._

" _Of course I can. You have no picture of this person?_

" _Ah no, thus the reason I want the sketch."_

My first attempt to describe Fitz came from a place of infatuation rather than objective observation.

" _Okay describe your young man._

" _Well he has expressive blue eyes, a strong jaw, even chin, wavy brown hair, thin kissable lips, a movie star nose, and a warm mischievous smile._

" _I see this going take some time. How about we start with the shape of his eyebrows?"_

"Dad, can I tell you story?

"Sure sweetheart, you know you can tell me anything".

"Promise not to judge or be dismissive".

"Olivia, should I be concerned? Are you in some sort of trouble? Has someone hurt you?"

"No dad, it's nothing like that." I take a deep breath and tell him about Fitz, the museum, New York, the waking dreams and the portrait. He looks at me with an expression I can't quite identify.

"Olivia, I'm not sure what to think or how to respond. Clearly, there is a connection between you two but whether to call it fate, kismet, karma or coincidence remains to be seen. What I do know is that you cannot let these chance meetings consume your thoughts or divert your focus from living in the present. If this connection is real, it will play itself out in due course. You cannot force it or pursue it, it has to happen naturally".

"Thanks dad". Tears trickle down my cheeks and because it is so cold outside they turn into little ice flakes.

"Time to come in Livvie."

"I will dad. Can I have few more minutes?"

"Five minutes no more". He pecks me on the forehead and wipes away my flaky tears before going inside.

 _ **Fitz and Olivia's Mutual POV**_

Gazing up at the moon, the two linked souls, separated by time, twenty-three hundred miles and nine states recite in unison their heartfelt desire.

Olivia: "Star light, star bright",

Fitz: "The first star I see tonight";

Olivia: "I wish I may, I wish I might",

Fitz: "Have the wish I wish tonight".

"Fitz I wish you a Merry Christmas and I pray one day soon you find me again".

"Olivia I wish you a Merry Christmas and I hope you are thinking about the good times with your mother and not her dying days. I hope and pray one day soon we find each other and spend the rest of our lives together".

"Goodnight and remember me Olivia". I gather my sketchbook, stuff it inside my suit jacket and head into the house.

"Remember me Fitz and I'll see you soon". I fold up my sketch of Fitz and put it in my jacket pocket. I linger a little longer taking in the moon's bright soft glow.

"Olivia where are you child? These sweet potato pies are not going to make themselves!" Olivia shakes her head and grins at her grandmother's snarky comment.

"Be there in a minute NeNe".

Once both Olivia and Fitz are in their respective houses, a star shoots across the evening sky and two stars twinkle in harmony.

* * *

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.


	7. TriOlitz Chapter 6

AN- I know, I know, long time no updates. I have bitten off more than I can chew. The original draft for this chapter is tangled mess of over 45 pages of hit and miss ramblings. I had to stop myself because I was cramming too much into one chapter and finding myself not having the patience or discipline to edit. Writer's block is also rearing its ugly head again, so I decided to break the one chapter up into several. This chapter focuses on the path that will lead to the adult Fitz and Olivia coming together.

Shout out to fellow FF writer kz4valentina for all her encouragement. If you haven't read her stories, check out "Whatever Happens" and her new one "A Match Made In Heaven".

Enjoy and remember I own nothing.

* * *

 **Tri-Olitz**

 **Chapter 6**

 **A Bet, a Promise and a Belief**

 _ **Princeton, Olivia's Sophomore Year**_

Gripping the sheer beige curtain panel, anxiously peering out the bay window of the apartment she shares with Olivia, Abby visually canvasses the street below checking out every passerby in search of the man she hopes will be the bearer of good news. She looks at her watch and taps the face with her finger. "Any minute", she whispers and sure enough, as soon as she looks up she finds the neighborhood mail carrier, Mr. Burgess, stopping in front of the apartment building. In the two years Abby and Olivia have lived in this quaint little brownstone, Mr. Burgess has arrived at 10:22 am on the dot like clockwork on mail service days. The slender silver haired postal worker quickly sorts through the mail in his gray doubled-sided wheel cart gathering the letters, magazines and junk circulars for the residents of the three-story walk-up. With bundles in hand, he makes way up the stairs into the lobby and unlocks the tenant mailbox. Abby runs downstairs and waits impatiently for Mr. Burgess to finish distributing the mail among a dozen brass lock boxes. Jumping from side to side charged with anticipation, she looks more like a child waiting in line to go potty than an Ivy League sophomore.

"Did they come, did they come, did the letters come", she asks excitedly. Mr. Burgess chuckles as he locks the service door to the mailboxes.

"Yes they came. You girls must be excited. Will this be your first trip to California?"

"No we went to Sea World camp our last year of middle school. In fact, it was the first time we were totally on our own away from our parents". Abby smiles to herself, reminiscing fondly about her and Olivia's mischievous adolescent summer adventure.

"Hmm, that smirk on your face tells me there's more to the story".

"Let's just say our parents were told not to make plans for us to attend future camp sessions".

"Oh my goodness, what did you two do?"

"Well, we kinda had a PETA moment, where we rallied the other campers, snuck into the arctic enclosure and tried to free the penguins the last night of camp. Needless to say, our parents put an end to our unaccompanied minor aspirations and placed us on the no fly list for California after that".

They both laugh and Abby gives Mr. Burgess a bear hug before inserting her key into the apartment mailbox lock.

"Have nice day and good luck to both of you," Mr. Burgess says waving as he leaves the lobby.

Abby grabs the mail and sifts through the letters and magazines until she reaches the focus of her search. Pressing the envelope to her chest, she says a little prayer and bounds up the stairs to share the news with Olivia.

 _ **Olivia's POV**_

"Olivia, get your ass out here", I hear Abby yell from the living room.

"Ouch, damn it!" I just got clobbered on the head by a couple of big boy multi-speed dongs. It figures, Abby is always hiding her dry spell relief aid shit on top of my storage boxes whenever she finds a guy who can satisfy her v-ache. How she manages to hook up with drawer peepers I'll never understand. You would think a reasonably sane person would avoid guys that find it necessary to search your intimates drawer, but not Abby. No, she attracts these weirdos like flies to manure.

"Give me a minute", I shout back. I put my box back on the shelf, finish dressing and walk out to meet Abby in the other room.

"Abby you need to keep your pelvic stress relievers out of my closet. I could have gotten a concussion retrieving one of my storage boxes".

"Oops, sorry Liv, Stephen let it slip the other night he's not comfortable with women who find an artificial dick a reasonable substitute for the real thing. Something about their size and battery powered endurance set unrealistic girth and stamina expectations for men thus tainting the act of lovemaking".

"Really? He said girth, endurance and taint all in one sentence?"

"Yep, he's different from the two brain specimens I normally date".

"He said lovemaking and not sex".

"Yes".

"Maybe there's hope for you yet Abs. He sounds like a keeper".

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, here". She hands me my letter from the SF Triathlon.

"I guess this makes it official".

"Yes, we are officially entered in the San Francisco Triathlon".

"Let's our letters together".

"Why the dramatics we already know what's inside?"

"Flair adds to the experience and makes the retelling of our story to others all the more poignant".

"Okay hold up. Is this Stephen a theatre arts major?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" With her hands on her hips, Abby gives me squinty stare.

"Figures", I smirk. _Abby's boy toys always end up infiltrating our flat with their lifestyle choices. First, it was Boomer the vegan history major. One morning I left for class and came home in the evening to a refrigerator empty of all diary and meat and filled with coconut water, almond milk, something called textured vegetable protein and a coffee table with boxes of Ken Burns documentaries. Another time, there was the business major slash amateur magician who bought a defective collapsible box off of Craig's list which resulted in the untimely crushing death of his pet dove._

"What was that Liv?"

"Oh nothing", I said fine.

"Uhm hmm", she hums with a cheeky smile.

We hold our letters in front us with outstretched hands.

"Okay on the count of three".

"Wait, do you mean we open after you say three or on three?"

Rolling my eyes, "seriously Abby".

"What, I find your inclination to provide inexact instruction disappointing as an aspiring future lawyer", she squawks with a grin.

I feign annoyance.

"Fine, after three open your envelope. Happy now! Are those instructions clear enough for you?"

"Yes, thank you for the clarification".

"One, two", we turn our envelopes over readying to rip open the flap, "three". We wedge our fingers under the flaps and tear open our letters.

"Congratulations, blah, blah, blah…you are registered for the August 9th San Francisco Triathlon… blah, blah, blah… you are registered for the Olympic course. Wait, what the fu…the Olympic course." Abby blurts out.

I scan my letter, "those punks registered us for the toughest course. Let's kill them!" I grab my phone off the coffee table and call my cousin Harrison.

"Hello Olivia. How are you?" I put my phone on speaker.

"Don't hello Olivia me! We got our registration confirmation letters today. Is there something you want to tell us?"

"Nothing I can think of; why?"

"You entered us for the Olympic course instead of the Supersprint you idiot. This is our first triathlon. Why would you sign us for the most difficult course? We have to swim to Alcatraz! We've only been training six months dufus! The bet is off!"

"Hey, hey, cool it with the name calling. Need I remind you, you agreed to compete in a triathlon of our choosing; you never placed any restrictions on the course choice. As a matter of fact, this whole bet is based on you boasting how you and your BFF partner-in-crime could compete with me and your former main squeeze on equal footing and I quote, "place as high or higher in the same category. Does any of this sound familiar to you Ranting Rhonda? You knew we were signing up for the Olympic course, so what made you think we would place you on the novice course. Talk big game cousin and you better be ready to back your claim. Now if you want to concede to our superior athleticism now, I'm more than willing to…"

"Hell to the 'h' no! The spoils of this bet will not go to you or the Lord of VD. So pick out your frock and heels Harry, game on!" I hang up without saying goodbye.

I turn to face Abby who has remained uncharacteristically quiet throughout my conversation with Harrison. "We have to make a good showing to win this bet.

"I know. I want to wipe that smug look off Harrison's face. I knew they'd pull something like this. Good thing we've been practicing for the longer course".

"Do you think I fooled him?"

"Oscar caliber performance Rhonda", Abby applauds and whistles as we both fall unto the couch laughing.

"If we place in the top 25 we'll win the kitty and the added bonus of watching Harrison go to church and basketball practice in full-on drag for two weeks in the fall".

"Liv where you come up with these freaky wagers is beyond me. Uhm… I notice you've given the other participant in our little four-way parlay a new moniker. Let's see, there was Peter Plague, Edward Epidemic, Festus Feverblister, Sid Sickness, Chester Cheater, Freddy Fibber, Terence Tramp, and my favorite Ben Bezonian. I had to look that one up."

"He's deserving of every deprecating appellation I can think of. He is a liar, a cheater, a waste of good skin, and an overall despicable human being".

"I agree, no argument here, but if we lose you'll have to…"

"Don't even entertain the thought. We…are…not… going… to lose. I would rather slit my wrists than spend three days at a family reunion with that diseased overblown ego and his family pretending to be head over heels in love with his sleazy ass".

"We shouldn't have agreed to change the bet after you two broke up. Mud wrestling at Rascals for four nights looks rather appealing at the moment."

"Give me a break all you have to do is wash Harrison's clothes once a week for a month. I'd gladly switch places".

"Liv you've been to his dorm room, a high pressure wash with febreze and Lysol would only take off the first layer of boy funk permeating that room. If his room is gag provoking his laundry is going to be especially nasty. How is it he smells fresh and funk-free when he walks amongst us?" We both laugh and shake our heads.

"Dinner with Danny Dipstick is preferable to weekly exposure to Harrison's tidy whiteys and sweaty armpit deposits." Abby shivers at the thought.

"Abby I'd don a nose clip, cover my body with stick-ups and grab a roll of quarters, believe me. You know, Edison hasn't told his family we're no longer together. They think we are the perfect power couple in-waiting; destined for power and prestige. Last summer his mother kept hinting about how nice a June wedding would be after we graduated. His family practically has us married with 2.5 kids and a 401K! The Davises have no idea the fruit of their loins is a world class schmuck!"

"After we win he has to come clean to his family and stay 500 yards away from me permanently".

"He agreed to those terms? Well that explains the sidebar conversation you two had during the prize renegotiations. No wonder he remained silent about the terms. Are you breaking any agreement with him by telling me the terms?"

"No. He asked me to keep the terms between the two of us but I never said I would. Silence or rather my failure to acknowledge his request does not imply or reflect agreement".

"You are so lucky you never slept with that prick. No telling what exotic strain of venereal cocktail that horn dog receives regularly treatment for. What kind of idiot in this day and age refuses to wrap it up?"

"He's reckless, irresponsible and has a superman complex. I think he really believes his penis is Teflon and his balls made of steel.

"Liv can I ask you something?"

"Hold on I need a calendar."

"What? Why?"

"I need to mark this day down. Abby Louise Whelan asking permission to ask a question. What's next, locust, frogs, rivers of blood?" Abby punches me in the arm.

"No seriously Liv."

"Sure shoot, my BFF partner in crime".

"Why did you avoid having sex with Edison? I mean he had to ask or try to slide into home base at some point. You two were together for almost 2 years".

"Oh he tried. He tried quite often in fact. He tried romancing me and when that didn't work he tried to shame or guilt me. I never felt anything other than like for Edison the entire time we were together. I knew he was not the one. Try as I might, I could never imagine us intimate".

"Liv are you still holding out for Fitz?"

 _I look away from Abby, the mere mention of his name fills my mind with visions of the past. The beach, the Smithsonian, and the cab in New York, precious memories that replay in a mind's eye as vivid as the day they took place. Fitz is a man now and I often try to image how he looks and wonder if I will recognize him in a crowd._

"Liv, Liv", it takes a few seconds for her voice to snap me out of my Fitz haze. "You're thinking about him right now aren't you?"

"Yes I am. Abby there is not a day that goes by I don't think of him. He's always with me, consciously and unconsciously. I can't explain it. This feeling…these visions I have of him… are so…so… all consuming at times…I…I".

 _Shaking my head, I run my fingers through my hair. Words escape me when it comes to Fitz. He's my most secret secret and elusive passion. I wait for him. I watch for him. I know I'm meant to spend my life with him. How do I explain my feelings to her without sounding a little crazy?_

"It's okay Liv I think I understand".

"Do you? I barely understand this connection I have with Fitz myself. You can hardly call us friends or even a couple, yet I believe we are so much more. Fitz has been a part of every critical event of my life. I met him in the Hamptons before my mother died and he took care of me. Then he saved my life at the Smithsonian and in New York, the day of the debate, the day I was missing my mom terribly, I find her necklace and this five 'n dime ring he gave me when we were children in some random cab. When I need him, he's always there Abby. Our connection is just not coincidental".

"Olivia I don't want to burst your bubble but I have to say the likelihood of you ever seeing Fitz again is a million to one".

"I hear you Abby, but think about this, because of him, I couldn't give myself to Edison. Fitz saved me from a shit load of heartache and penicillin. Trust me I understand your concern. My gut feeling, belief, hope, whatever you want to call it, sounds irrational and completely unrealistic. I get it. All I can say is in my heart I know I will see him again and we will have a life together".

I quickly cover my mouth with both hands, my deepest thoughts uttered.

"Oh my god, I actually said it out loud. Oh my god".

 _I stand up wringing my hands and start pacing. Abby's right, the chances of Fitz and me getting together after all this time are astronomical. What am I thinking?  
_

"Liv it's okay", Abby repeats a few times trying to reassure me and prevent me from having a minor meltdown.

"If you believe you two are meant to be, who am I to rain on your parade, but if you have even the slightest of doubts, please don't close yourself off to the possibility of a meaningful relationship if a great man comes along. I'll admit you had some cosmic connection with Fitz in the past but will you consider the possibility the connection has served its purpose and is over". Abby walks over to me and places her hand on my shoulder.

Recognizing Abby is only expressing her sincere concern for me, I place my hand on top of her's and give a gentle squeeze.

"I will Abs, I will".

* * *

 **Yale Fitz's Senior Year**

Drunken revelers carouse in the streets, front yards and on the porches of houses lining fraternity row. The cool night air smells of vice and excess. Howls of laughter from the teams of partygoers punctuate the backdrop of loud music, cigarette smoke and the flashing lights from disco balls. A giddy Mellie parks in front of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. She takes her luck at finding a parking space on the normally congested street on a party night as a favorable sign from above her plans for the evening will be a success. She checks her lipstick in the visor mirror and combs her bangs across her brow with her index finger. She pinches her lightly powdered cheeks to add a blush of red and slowly sweeps her tongue across her bleached white teeth. Satisfied with what she sees, she winks to herself and flips the visor back in place. She and her new gal Amanda Tanner make quick work of getting out of the car and into the Delta Phi house. Once inside they dodge the wasted and puking as they scan their surroundings Fitz's location. Mellie is on a mission to finally snag Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III as her boyfriend. Although not a requirement for her plan, Mellie would prefer Fitz commit to her of his own volition but desperate times call for desperate measures and artificial affection is as good as the real thing.

Mellie's newest sidekick Amanda is a loner by nature due to her frequent court ordered extended stays at the various upscale psychiatric treatment facilities dotting the eastern seaboard. Fresh from a thirty day stay at club veg, she met Mellie in an upper division women's studies course and the two dysfunctional personalities immediately hit it off. The new friends hung out often but rarely shared any personal information of consequence until one night Mellie got snookered after Fitz refused to accompany her an important high profile family function and she confessed her unrequited love dilemma to Amanda.

Amanda, eager to help her one and only friend tells Mellie how she can help her capture Fitz's heart. At first Mellie was leery of Amanda's plan but in the end she had to admit nothing she had tried thus far had worked so she really had nothing to lose by trying Amanda's bizarre scheme.

* * *

 **Fitz POV**

Standing in the kitchen, leaning against a granite topped island covered with half empty liquor bottles and used plastic cups, my mind for some reason is consumed with thoughts of Olivia. I fear something ominous is on the horizon and I cannot shake the feeling. I barely know her and have no idea where she is or how to contact her. I haven't seen her since the taxi incident in New York and yet the inexplicable tie binding us through space and time is sending a major alert to my soul. The burdensome feeling of helplessness taxes my mind so I drink. I drink to silence the foreboding screaming in my head and pray a benevolent spirit will bring Olivia to me or protect her until I can reach her.

Jake and I are attending one of the last parties of the school year, which all happens to be our last college party. After finals, we're off to California to prepare for the San Francisco Triathlon taking place in August. Jake arranged for us to sublet an apartment for the summer in LA so I can avoid spending time at home in Santa Barbara with Big Gerry. The triathlon is our last hooray before we start our stint in the navy.

"Hello Fitzgerald, fancy meeting you here", a shrill female voice says addressing me, snapping me out of my thoughts. The owner of the voice, the pesky Mellie Pearson, saunters up to me brightly displaying her patent toothy grin.

"How are you? It has been awhile. What have you been up to?" I say with forced cordiality, as her presence is adding to my feeling of dread. I pop open another beer and slowly swallow the cold liquid.

Gushing as usual, she places her hand on my shoulder, "I'm doing great, a little of this, a little of that, you know me always into something or other. I plan to tour Europe over the summer. Maybe you could meet me in Paris or Lisbon. We'd have a great time together", she says suggestively grazing her fingers across her breast and sticking her middle finger down her cleavage. Her little comment causes my throat to constrict, which makes me cough and forces beer to shoot out my nose. Mellie pats me on the back several times but keeps talking without a pause.

"Oh, before I forget, be on the lookout for an invitation to my graduation party. Daddy is sparing no expense. Frankly, it's rather obscene what he is spending on my little celebration", she squawks shaking her head and covering her push-up bra cleavage with her hand in typical southern belle fashion. I wish she would stop touching her boobs, she's making me uncomfortable and not in a good way.

I nod obliging her droning inconsequential comments then turn my attention to the label on the bottle of beer I'm still holding.

"Fitz you seem distracted. Is everything all right? Can I help?" She moves closer to me, my body's involuntarily response is to step back maintaining a comfortable personal space.

"I'm fine, no complaints. Things are going well and my summer and post graduation plans are in place."

"Really? Oh right, Big Gerry mentioned you'd be starting law school in the fall? Harvard, right?"

"No, I will not be starting law school in the fall. I've enlisted in the Navy and will begin officer training at the end of summer."

"What!" Mellie screeches. Does Big Gerry know about this change of plans? Do you any idea of what you are doing? Fitz you are disrupting a carefully crafted timeline! Deals have been made, promises need to be kept! Do you have any idea what you have done?"

Mellie is incensed to the point her irritation threatens to crease her botoxed brow. You'd think I killed her cat or spit in her face by her reaction. I bet Big Gerry promised to rein me in once I enrolled in law school. I'm sure fall was supposed to mark the official start of a very public arranged courtship.

Jake, hearing Mellie's shriek over the pounding beat of the party's techno music, makes his way from the patio deck to the kitchen. Mellie's infuriated demeanor tells him everything. He knows I dropped the Navy bomb on her. Joining me at the island, he greets Mellie with his usual sarcasm.

"Hey Mellie, how are you? Eaten any babies or small children lately?"

I cut in before Mellie can answer. "I was just telling Mellie about enlisting in the Navy. Apparently, my father gave her the impression I'd be starting law school in the fall."

"Oh, that's interesting, where?"

"Harvard".

"What a coincidence. I ran into David McAllister the other day and he mentioned Mellie would be starting Harvard law in the fall too. Go figure, what are the odds of both of you entering Harvard at the same time? Mellie did you tell Fitz you were starting Harvard in the fall?" Mellie is livid. She casts a stern glare at Jake and resumes talking to me.

"How long have you been planning this Fitz? Did you do this on a whim? Maybe Gerry can pull a few strings and have your enlistment rescinded", she suggests hopefully.

"It's always been my intention to spend time serving my country. A whim? Who do you take me for Mellie? My convictions are not the product of a whim and my career plans are my own, not my father's. You know Mellie I can always count on you to channel Big Gerry any time I run afoul of the master plan. But thankfully in a few weeks I will sever all ties you and my father. My plan is to never see you or listen to my father talk about running for president ever again".

"Fitz that's not a very nice thing to say."

"Which part? Not seeing you or not having to listen to my father?"

"Fitzgerald!"

"Mellie?"

"What is about me you find so displeasing?

 _Pretty much everything._

"I mean, I'm attractive, intelligent, DAR certified and socially well-received. I am the perfect political partner." Mellie grabs my hand and gazes into my eyes with all the sincerity of a consummate bullshiter.

Jake is right I have been too subtle in communicating my feelings to Mellie. The woman cannot take a hint. Pulling my hand away and imbued with clarity of thought born from slight inebriation, I decide to once and for all put an end to Mellie's Big Gerry inspired fantasies.

"Mellie, I need you to hear me and to completely comprehend what I am saying. You and I will never be partners, husband and wife or even good friends. I want you to be clear on where I stand so you stop wasting effort and energy on something that is an absolute impossibility". She moves in closer, again trying to convey sincerity.

"Look Mellie, Big Gerry's plans are just that his plans not mine. He is a double-dealing, "what's in it for me" politician. Honor, service, the public good are sound bites to him; a means to an end, nothing more. If I choose a political career, it will be on my terms not his. I have never had aspirations of becoming president and if I did, the last person I'd take advice from is a man whose egoist shortcomings and philandering ways eliminated any chance of him pursuing the highest elected office for himself. If D.C. is your desired destination I suggest you set your sights on some unsuspecting Harvard law student with political credentials in line with your ambitions".

Mellie looks at me in total disbelief. Noticing Jake is still with us she glares at him and snaps, "don't you have somewhere else to be".

"No, I'm good. Feel free to continue."

"You are a real prick Jake.

"So I've been told."

"Jake can you give us a minute?"

"You sure man?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jake pats me on shoulder and heads back to the deck where he continues to observe Mellie.

The second Jake is out of the kitchen the phony switch in Mellie's head flips her back into character. She snatches a napkin off the counter to dry the nonexistent tears from the corners of her eyes. She stiffens her posture and reaches over to encase my free hand between her French manicured claws.

"Fitzgerald...Fitz… sweetheart". I pull my hand away but my recoil doesn't faze her.

"I completely understand your apprehension about an arranged relationship. I do, trust me I do. I know Gerry has put a lot of pressure on you but he really has your best interest at heart. We're a match made in political heaven. We are media gold Fitz".

"Mellie, let me be frank, I don't find you attractive, interesting or even nice. I flinch at your touch, shudder at the thought of spending extended periods of time with you and basically do not like you as person in general. I find you devious, manipulative, pretentious, and somewhat odious. I have no desire to be connected to you in any way. Have I made myself clear?"

Undeterred by my honest assessment of her deep-rooted character flaws and my declaration of relationship independence, Mellie presses on ignoring my dismissal.

"Fitz we are going to be together, it is inevitable. Gerry will make "us" happen. You will marry me and we will take D.C by storm. So go...go to the navy, get this personal manifest destiny nonsense out of your system so we can move on. You may not like me but you need me to be a success. Love is for suckers, talentless dreamers and teenagers looking to get laid". _And there it is ladies and gentlemen cynical devious Mellie in the flesh._

"Mellie you are fucking insane. Have you heard a word I've said?"

She pats me on the cheek. "Not insane baby, just determined." Stepping into my personal space, cuffing my chin, she tries to a plant kiss on my lips but I balk, turn my head and back away.

"It's okay lover, plenty of time for foreplay."

Now I know she's certifiable. She pivots on her heels and walks out the opposite door she came in swinging her hips. I guess her moves are meant to be sexy but all I think is "ew" and shiver in disgust.

Jake walks back into the kitchen grinning.

"What did she say?"

I gulp down the rest of my beer, slam the bottle on the counter and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

"I owe you an apology. You've told me since we were kids that Mellie is a whack job. Today I can confirm your observations are completely accurate. She basically told me she and Gerry have already determined my future and there is not a damn thing I can do about it. She is graciously allowing me to serve in the navy in order to get, and I quote, "this personal manifest destiny nonsense out of my system so we can move on".

"She's an opportunistic parasite looking for a high profile host and you're it man".

"Jake, I mean it was surreal, basically I called her a piece of shit and she turned around and tried to kiss me".

"Look, I'm not going to say I told you so, but I told you so. Mellie's been producing crazy stem cells in her brain for years. Half of her brain has to be dedicated to demented Fitz fantasies. Oh and that was brilliant by the way applying for law school to throw Big Gerry off. Papa Pearson I'm sure had to call in favors to get wank-a-doodle Mellie a space in the fall class."

"Probably. Are you ready to head out?"

Jake leans in closer. "Fitz, did something happen recently? You've seemed preoccupied for the last few days. Is everything okay?"

"Uhm, I have a lot on my mind with finals, the triathlon, the inescapable blow-up my father is going to have once Mellie spreads the navy news," I explain to Jake, staring blankly as I exhale deeply and run my fingers through my hair.

"Hey, this is me you're talking to you. I know you Fitz. Finals will be a breeze for you, this isn't our first triathlon and you can care less if Gerry goes ballistic. What's really bothering you man? Is it Olivia?"

I look him in the eyes, no further explanation is necessary. Jake is the one person on earth I share my secret obsession with. He has never judged me, only acted as my sounding board and a supportive friend.

"Okay, let me drain the pipe, we'll go home and I'll let you bend my ear and paint my toenails", he says laughing collaring me with his arm and kissing my cheek.

"Asshole", feigning disgust I wipe my cheek with my t-shirt.

He blows me an air kiss, "Give me five minutes," he says walking away.

"I'll wait out front; I need some air".

Unbeknownst to Fitz or Jake Amanda is lurking by the doorway eavesdropping on their conversation. Before Jake departs, she quickly goes to find Mellie. She tells Mellie what she overheard.

"No, you're mistaken, you must have misunderstood. Fitz isn't involved with anyone; I'd know about it, his father would have told me".

"I'm sure what heard Mellie. Apparently Fitz and this Olivia person had a fight or something, that's why he's all sullen and distracted".

"Damn it! Okay, it doesn't matter. She'll be of no consequence by morning. Do you have the stuff from Opia?"

"Yes", waving a baggy with a few grams of white powder at Mellie.

Mellie returns to the kitchen with Amanda after Jake leaves.

"Mellie you're back, why?" I ask in a tone laced with irritation and suspicion.

"Oh Fitzgerald, I can't stay angry with you. I come in peace bearing gifts". She tries to hand me an open beer. I ignore her and I look at the woman standing next to her who is trying hard not to gawk at me.

"Oh my, how rude of me, where are my manners. Fitz this is my good friend Amanda Tanner". Amanda and I exchange greetings. She seems nervous but I attribute it to her being shy.

Mellie hands me the beer again. This time I take it. "To letting bygones be bygones," she says raising her bottle to toast.

She and Amanda clink their bottles together then tap mines and take a sip. I eye them both skeptically before taking a small sip of the beer. They look at each other and say bottoms up. I drink most of the beer but not all of it.

"Thanks for the beer Mellie, I have to be going. Jake and I are leaving. Nice meeting you Amanda".

"Sure Fitz, see you around".

 _Not if I can help it, I mumble under my breath._

* * *

 **Mellie's POV**

"How long before he passes out?"

"Fifteen minutes, thirty at the most".

"Good, go keep Jake busy while I see to Fitz. This time tomorrow he'll wake up next to me hopelessly in love with me".

"What should I do to with Jake?"

"Improvise; throw yourself at him. I don't care what you do just keep him away from Fitz".

"Okay Mellie, I'll do what I can".

Jake is coming down the stairs from the bathroom when he sees Fitz walking towards the front door with Mellie following close behind. He almost tumbles down the last few stairs because Amanda slams into him pretending to trip.

"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I'm such a klutz. Are you hurt?" She inquires excitedly wrapping her arms around his waist for stability. When Jake helps regain her balance she gazes up at him batting her eyelashes flirtatiously in an awkward attempt to divert his attention.

Jake saw Mellie whispering to Amanda earlier so he is certain the two are friends. He finds her flirtation comical rather than seductive and suspects she is trying to delay him to give Mellie time alone with Fitz; which is never a good thing.

"No harm done; excuse me I have to go".

Amanda grabs Jake by the arm. "What's your hurry handsome? The party is just getting started".

Jake casts a disapproving glare from his arm to her eyes. Getting the message, she immediately releases her grip.

Meanwhile, Mellie trails Fitz waiting for the voodoo love concoction to take effect.

Fitz staggers down the front steps slightly disoriented and Mellie is at his side before he can take a seat at the curb.

"Fitz are you feeling all right? I don't think you are in any condition to drive. My car is right over there I'll take you home". Mellie tries to help Fitz stand.

"Mellie don't, Jake is coming out any minute to take me home. Don't worry it's handled".

"Oh Jake got held up with Amanda, I think he likes her".

Fitz feels sick and nearly passes out at the curb.

"My head hurts. Did you put something in my beer?"

"Really Fitzgerald, what kind of person do you take me for?"

 _Technically, I didn't do it, I had Amanda put the powder in Fitz's beer._

 _ **Flashback**_

"Do you have the stuff from Opia?"

"Yes", Amanda says waving a baggy with a few grams of white powder at Mellie.

"So how does it work? Do I blow it in his face, rub it on my lips, put it in his drink, what?

"You mix it in his drink, he passes out and when he wakes up if you are the first person he sees Opia says he will forever be hopelessly in love with you". She touts to Mellie with confidence.

Opia is Amanda's family housekeeper. She is a former voodoo-priestess-for-hire, who back in the day ran afoul of the law when one of her potions nearly killed a retired high-ranking police official. She ended up doing time and upon her release from prison she changed her name and secured a job with the Tanners who were looking for someone to pay under the table to avoid paying taxes and benefits. The Tanners know Opia has a checkered past and exploit it to their advantage. They pay her a merger salary for long hours knowing Opia will say nothing because she has nowhere to go and is working under a false identity.

Shortly after moving in with the Tanner family Opia becomes aware Amanda, the Tanner's only child, is not quite right in the head. Almost on a daily basis, discussions of Amanda's misdeeds fill the house with exasperated hushed whispers. Opia learns Amanda's parents spend a great deal of money on lawyers and paying off the victims of their daughter's borderline psychotic behavior. Opia having a great deal of experience dealing with the marginal, views Amanda as an easy mark she can manipulate. She easily convinces Amanda to help her peddle snake oil concoctions, innocuous love potions and voodoo dolls to naive organic product loving millennials and other wealthy trend addicted nitwits. Amanda may not have had friends but she supplied Opia with a steady source of gullible customers.

A week ago, Amanda came to Opia demanding she make a strong, cannot fail love potion for Mellie. Up until that point, Opia had hawked her products through Amanda as health and novelty items. Amanda's sudden demand for the genuine article poses the potentially of landing Opia back in prison. Opia cannot afford the Tanners finding out she is using Amanda to conduct her side business. Given Amanda's unpredictable mental state Opia, thinks fast, and agrees to mix the potion but cautions Amanda the potion will only work if all the instructions are followed to the letter.

Opia tells Amanda, " _You must mix this potion in the intended's drink and he must drink it, all of it, within ten minutes of it being added to his drink. He will fall asleep within 30 minutes so your friend must put him in his bed. She must chant their names in his ear a hundred times before he wakes. He must wake up in his own bed with her next to him. Your friend must be the first person the intended sees when he wakes up. She must dress in red, the color of love. She must not be on her cycle, for blood and hormones counteract the potion. He will sleep for at least a couple of hours, during this time your friend must stand naked in front of his bedroom door with hands raised in surrender for an hour. If she stands in front of the door, she will block the spirit of any rival wanting to challenge her for the intended's affection. This will also show the intended's spirit she is willing to submit to his love. The couple must not be interrupted or the spirits of harmony and love will not bless them with a permanent union and the spirit of hate will take over"._

Opia grinds dried parsley, clear laxative powder and melatonin into a fine powder and gives it to Amanda. At worst, whomever she plans slipping this mixture to will take a nap and have a healthy bowel movement after a few hours.

" _Tell your friend to heed my warning Amanda, for there is a fine line between love and hate. If she fails to follow any part of my instructions, she only will suffer the consequences"._

Amanda swallows hard, and says, " _I understand_ ".

 _ **End Flashback**_

Jake steps to the side to pass Amanda. Worried he'll intercept Fitz, she panics, pulls a small leather slapjack out her pocket, hits Jake on the back of the head and pushes him down the stairs. Jake grabs the back of his head in pain with one hand and tries to brace his fall with the other. He lands belly first on the hardwood floor at the base of the stairs. "Uggh", he croaks in pain. Amanda hops on his back to deliver more blows but a couple partygoers witnessing her attack tackle her.

"Call the police", someone yells. "Hold her down", another shouts.

Amanda, unhinged, starts screaming obscenities and flailing her body about, struggling to break free from those restraining her. She needs to call Mellie and warn her or their plan will fail.

Jake's friend Peter Hudson, helps Jake to his feet. Jake stands staggering slightly. "What the hell just happened?"

"Dude that's crazy Amanda. You only talk to her on an as-needed basis. Are you okay?" Peter examines the back of Jake's head for bruising or blood.

"Yeah, man I'm fine".

"You sure, the cops are on the way. Here, take this".

"What's this?"

"The contact information for her family lawyer. Call him. Tell him what happened and he'll send you a check".

"What the hell? Is this a frequent problem with her?"

"Pretty much. She's calm down quite a bit since she started hanging out with Mellie".

"Shit Fitz!"

"Oh I saw him get in Mellie's car a little while ago".

"Damn. Thanks man I have to go".

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine". Jake rushes out of the frat without even glancing at Amanda. He tries to call Fitz but the call goes directly to voice mail. "Shit, shit, shit, God please let them go back to our apartment".

Jake arrives home ten minutes later parking haphazardly in front of their modest apartment building. He races up two flights of stairs to the second floor apartment he shares with Fitz. The door to the apartment is ajar, so he bolts in expecting to see Fitz in a compromising position with Mellie. Semi- relieved by the absence of gyrating bodies, he continues further in towards Fitz's bedroom. He makes his way down the hallway to Fitz's room. He sees a figure standing in the doorway. He flips on the hall light, stunned at first by what sees, he burst into hysterical laughter a second later. It is quite a sight behold, Mellie standing buck naked, hands raised above her head chanting "Fitz loves Mellie" like a rosary prayer. Mellie turns around without thinking giving Jake a full frontal.

"Oh god my eyes, my eyes, he cries between laughs.

"No, no, you've ruined everything you bastard!"

* * *

AN- I'm going to stop here. I'm pooped.

-So, Fitz and Olivia think of each other so often it is difficult for them to date or commit to other people.

-As you can guess, the event that finally brings them together involves competing in a triathlon

-Abby and Jake are supportive friends who are always willing to lend a sympathetic ear.

\- Edison is a jerk, Mellie is a jerk and Amanda is just plain crazy.

-Jake is scarred for life after seeing Mellie from all angles. LOL

Well, so long for now, I hope to get the next chapter up next week. Drop a line if you are so inclined. Take care and have a great week.


	8. TriOlitz Chapter 7

**Tri-Olitz**

 **Chapter 7**

" _Through the fire_

 _To the limit, to the wall_

 _For chance to be with you_

 _I'd gladly risk it all_

 _Through the fire_

 _Through whatever come what may_

 _For the chance at loving you_

 _I'd take it all the way_

 _Right down to the wire_

 _Even through the fire"_

 _Chaka Khan_

* * *

 **The Present**

General McGowan POV

 _Damn it, the woman is unflappable. Five hours of nonstop questioning and she hasn't broken a sweat. Is she grinning? I actually think she is enjoying this. Nerves of steel that one. Why the hell isn't she working with Wilson in SAD or Jamieson in SOG? Reese is an idiot. How could he not know he had this genius strategist working right under his nose? Counterterrorism could use her full-time. I read her file. Olivia Pope possesses that rare strategic acumen that gives her keen insight into complex combatant situations._ _Her skill set definitely falls between a counter-insurgent and a black op assassin. What did Reese say, "she has a gift for interpreting anomalous domestic internet traffic across the spectrum social media and coded dark web chatter."_

Olivia's POV

Seriously, a dark room, track lighting, an uncomfortable chair and six chest puffing old guys sporting variations of a buzz cut. Could this proceeding be any more stereotypical or hackneyed? Is this an investigation or an interrogation? The ringleader McGowan pours himself another glass of water from the black plastic pitcher in front of him. He sits enthroned on a black leather chair at a long rectangular mahogany table seated between top brass from the navy, air force, army and marines. The joint armed forces panel has been grilling, well more like chastising me for hours. I guess all the bright shiny medals and ribbons are supposed to have some sort of shock and awe effect on me. Not! There is nothing more cliché and cartoonish than a bunch old men pontificating on the merits of the chain of command, protocol and coordinated team effort. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand and agree with the need for rules and protocols to avoid chaos and rebellion. However, there are times when rules and protocols prove an impediment to situations requiring expediency. For goodness sake, I retrieved a highly trained and valuable asset. Can we at least agree on that one fact? No, this inquisition is about control and respect for military hierarchy. The plain truth is they alone have earned the right to call the shots and my little crafty ass pissed in their cheerios and made them look bad and ineffective with my rescue mission.

They want their pound of flesh; I can't say that I blame them. If I were one of them I'd demand the same. I should act intimidated? They want me quivering in my Jimmy Choo's and pit sweating in my Michael Kors dress? I'm supposed break down and beg forgiveness for my incredible feat of asset retrieval and combatant termination. Sorry, not today gentlemen. Fitz and I have literally gone through fire together, so excuse me if I find this entire charade amusing rather than daunting. Censure me, give me a tongue-lashing, subject me to punition but I will not cringe or shrink in regret for what I did. Ask me a thousand times, my answer will be the same. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Damn I wish I could say what I'm thinking but I have to consider Huck, Jake, Cyrus and Reese. Diplomacy with a smidgen of contrition is in order today. Fine, so be it. Should I shed a tear, go all emotional female on them? Hell no, I'll apologize and take my punishment but that is it! Dismiss me if you want, I think I'm ready for a career change anyway.

* * *

Cyrus and Reese POV

We watch Olivia pack up her belongs in silence. Fitz sits next to her desk quietly fuming. McGowan recommended a six-month suspension without pay and reassignment to SAD or SOG but the others argued Pope was a rogue, a loose cannon controlled by her emotions, therefore unstable and unfit for the intelligence work. McGowan argued Pope was an invaluable asset whose skills needed to be directed to more befitting activities. In the end, the majority ruled and Olivia Carolyn Pope was summarily dismissed and given her walking papers.

"You dodged a bullet today Pope".

"If you say so I guess I did Director Beene".

"Oh, now I'm Director Beene".

"Sorry Cyrus, I always knew being fired was a possibility, I just never actually thought they would do it. Suspension, demotion, a loss of pay, sure, of course but actual termination; boy was I wrong".

"You got off easy kid. They could have brought charges, locked you up and thrown away the key. You could be in Guantanamo playing pinochle with Al-Qa'ida also-rans and swatting mosquitoes. You know as well as I do the post 911 world has given the military and intelligence agencies sweeping powers. No Olivia, you got off with a slap on the wrist, a limp slap at that".

"I am sorry Pope. You are a rare talent and I have no idea how I will replace you".

"Thank you sir, it has been an honor to work with you Chief Reese".

"The honor has been all mines Pope".

"So what are you plans Pope", Cyrus asks with genuine concern.

"You mean aside from collecting unemployment and being a kept woman?"

Fitz grabs my hand and kisses it.

"I've been toying with the idea of opening my own crisis management firm".

"I see, well if you need references put me down; anything I can do to help".

"Thank you Cyrus I'll keep you mind".

 **Morning, The Same Day**

A strong loving arm gently hugs my waist. I love this time of day, the quiet predawn of morning. Nestled snuggly against Fitz I feel warm, safe and loved. It's amazing how his simple touch, the slow rhythmic song of his breathing and the warmth of his body calms and comforts me. I take his hand, kiss it and lift it off my body. I swing my legs over the side of the bed, exhale with a sigh and quietly sit gathering my thoughts. Crossing my legs unconsciously, I stare at the scar running from the base of my ankle to the top of my calf. I smile to myself thinking of how Fitz refers to my scar as my blazing beauty mark. This scar is a daily reminder of why I love and will do anything for Fitz. At one time friends suggested I cover it with a tattoo but I would never do such a thing. This patch of dermis imperfection is proof of our destiny and the depth of our love.

"Liv honey, what are thinking about?" Fitz asks wrapping his arms around me from behind, kissing my neck.

"I'm thinking how blessed I am to have you in my life. I thinking how just the thought of you warms my heart and brightens my day. How I will never hide or cover this scar", I say bringing my knee to my chest as I turn to face him. "This scar reminds me of the day I knew my love for you was not a fantasy or a dream. It was real, precious and genuine. The day I got this I wanted I to scream but not from pain, from joy. In the midst of the danger surrounding us, I found joy". Fitz gets out of the bed and kneels in front of me. He pulls down my leg and softly kisses my knees. He lays his head on my thighs and wraps his arms around my hips.

"I felt the same way Livvie. I can't explain it; I knew our life together began in that instant". He lifts his head to look me in the eyes.

"Not surviving never crossed my mind. The second I touched you and looked in your eyes, a peace came over me. Like you, a joy filled my heart in the midst of that dire situation. I knew we'd be together forever; me and my sweet Livvie forever". He gently glides his fingers along the length of the scar and returns his head to my thighs.

"Whatever happens today, you're going to be all right Livvie. We are going to be all right".

"Baby I'm fine, worst case scenario I lose my job and become a kept woman", I tease combing my fingers though his hair. "Imagine it, every day when you come home I greet you with a drink and slippers and have a hot meal on the table. And every night I offer you my body for your kinky sexual enjoyment.

"Hmm, I'm actually intrigued by your proposal Ms. Pope. I fully support your choice to be a kept woman, except for one minor detail".

"And that detail being?"

"Exactly how is the hot meal thing going to work? You and the stove are sworn enemies." He looks up at me grinning.

"Ah, yes, good point. Okay, I will have the best piping hot take out waiting on the table for you every night".

He rubs my thighs slowly, alternating his touches with kisses. He moves up my body with each kiss until he reaches my head. He kisses my brow and each cheek. Placing his forehead against mine, he massages my left breast and grasps the back of my neck with his right hand.

"I love you Olivia, until time ends and beyond", he whispers.

We kiss, slowly and thoroughly. Our mouths open eager to let our tongues sweep across familiar terrain. He stands never breaking contact and pushes me down on the bed. He lays on top me grinding against my pelvis, his hand snaking up my t-shirt. His weight covers me, overwhelming me with his presence, arousing me.

"Be one with Livvie, shut out everything else. It's only you and me. No one and nothing else matters in this moment".

"Make love to me Fitz. Take us away from here baby", I moan against his cheek. His hand slides into my panties cuffing my leaking folds.

"Umm, umm, show me why I can never be with another man", I coo breathless.

"With pleasure sweet baby. How about some kinky shower lov'n? "

I shake my vigorously in agreement and within minutes my body is engaged in rapturous joyance.

"Oh god Fitz baby, harder baby, harder". All I want at this moment is for Fitz to be balls deep inside me. Pressed against the shower wall, my hands pinned over my head, he drives into me with unbridled passion sending me into a sex-induced stupor of orgasmic splendor. He alternates between kissing my neck and sucking my tongue with every pleasure giving thrust. "I love you Livvie", he moans in my ear over and over again. The water from the shower has long since grown cold but the heat from our joined bodies makes us oblivious to the temperature change. I cum hard mid-thrust, shaking and screaming his name from the sheer bliss of our oneness. He lowers my body to the shower floor only to change position and place my legs over his shoulders. He buries his face between my legs and draws my still throbbing nerve bundle into his mouth. I slam my upper body against the tile wall and run my fingers through his wet hair. The things this man can do to me with his mouth are unbelievable and probably illegal in half a dozen states. He reaches up to fondle my breast in perfect harmony with his oral action. My Fitz is implacable in his pursuit to drive me to the brink of ecstasy. I'm moaning and cursing like a porn star, though there is nothing fake about how Fitz makes me feel. I have no one to compare him to but I don't need to, Fitz is a fucking expert lover who I will crave until I die and I'm pretty sure I'll still want him in the afterlife. His tongue and pearl white teeth coax another body stirring orgasm out of me before I fully recover from the first. He is on a mission to fuck me senseless and take my mind off the day's proceedings.

He lowers my wobbly legs from his shoulders, we stand, he spins me around and enters me from behind. I reach up and lock my hands behind his neck for stability. He wraps his arm around waist to help me remain standing. His other hand gropes my breasts and pinches my nipples. My walls tighten around him extracting his stamina and sending him into a state of wanton release. Together our plunge and squeeze two step dance brings us to the door of sexual delrium. His masterful hand abandons by swollen breasts to fully attend my aching clitoris. With unmatched carnal dexterity, he massages the desire between my womanly folds, bringing stimulating erotic intensity to my overwhelming physical need for him. He rams into me with frenzied zeal, my vaginal muscles compress tighter and tighter until his member explodes under the pressure of my cock crushing walls. Our hands join bracing against the shower wall as we give in to our raging passion. He bites my shoulder and I bite my lip as he shoots his warm milky testimony of his yearning for me inside my tight cum drenched cavity. Breathless we turn to kiss each other. We press our brows together and enfold.

"Everything is going to be all right Olivia. Today is just a formality. The cards are stacked in your favor. They'd be fools to levy anything harsher than a formal reprimand. They know the real hero of the mission, regardless of the fictionalized account memorialized in the investigation report."

He kisses me repeatedly. Each kiss is deeper and more sensual than its predecessor. From the moment we connected after he saved my life in LA my love for him has never waned, only grown in depth and intensity. The same holds true for Fitz too. Our every touch, our every glance, our every thought adds to the dimension and strength of our love. There is not a song, sonnet or love story written that comes close to describing our one of a kind love and that inspires and guides me every day.

This morning I face questioning from the joint armed forces panel and receive, if all goes according to plan, a disciplinary reprimand from CIA command on my unauthorized rescue op.

"Fitz I told you"... He pinches my lips shut with his fingers.

"Olivia I don't want to hear you downplay your role in my rescue any longer. I'm alive and here because of you, your determination, brilliance and love. What you did with Jake and Huck's help is nothing short of a miracle".

"Fitz I …"

"What did I say?" Looking at me sternly, "enough is enough Olivia. Please be my hero this time. Let me praise you and thank you for being there for me. Accept my gratitude and love. Remember we are a team".

"I love you Fitz".

"Through the fire Livvie".

"Through the fire, I smile".

 **Flashback the Summer of Fate**

"Why is LA so spread out? You have to drive everywhere. Oh my god, how long have we been on the road? Why the hell does Harrison's summer fling live in the valley? Are we almost there? Are you sure this is the right way, you know Harrison is directionally challenged".

"Abs don't worry, I did a MapQuest and apparently you haven't been paying attention to the third voice in the car because I have the Waze app on too. We're headed in the right direction, okay".

"How much longer on this road to nowhere do we have until we reach our final destination?"

"Geez Abs, what's your problem?"

"I hate trucks, they should make separate highways for them. Their huge mobile road bullies. Spewing fumes everywhere, taking up more than their fair share of the lane, barreling down the backs of drivers."

"Abby for someone who doesn't drive you sure a lot issues with 18 wheelers".

"Exactly my point, 18 wheels. That's a small train".

"Okay, Miss Anti-18 Wheeler, how do you propose transporting food, furniture and other goods to stores? In your perfect world, free of long haulers, how does your Lubriderm lotion make it to the drugstore?" Abby goes silent for a moment.

"Helicopters and hybrid or electric vans of course. Both are quicker and more maneuverable and less toxic to the environment".

"Can you imagine the number of vans required to replace one semi-hauler? Can you imagine a sky filled with helicopters? Abby your plan is logistically problematic".

"Whatever Liv, you know I'm right", she huffs looking out the window grinning.

"Okay Abby let me change lanes before you start hyperventilating".

Olivia flips on her signal light to change lanes.

Suddenly, "Liv watch out!" Abby screams.

In an instant, their laughter turns into shrieks of terror. A semi hauling sewer pipe directly in front of them blows a tire sending large strips of shredded rubber into Olivia's lane. Olivia grips the wheel, quickly steering her car across the next lane to avoid the tire debris. Seconds later another tire blows on the truck collapsing the truck's rear axle. The truck fishtails then jack-knifes shifting the load of sewer pipes with enough force to snap the trailer straps and send two of the pipes toppling over onto the freeway. Olivia manages to stay clear of the tire fragments but the sewer pipes are unavoidable. The few cars trailing behind Olivia are able to move over to the far left lane and avoid the rolling pipes. She barely misses clipping one pipe only to be sideswiped other. The pipe impact causes Olivia to spin out onto the soft shoulder and into the rusted highway guardrail. The guardrail, weakened from corrosion and wear almost gives way on impact but proves sturdy enough to impede her car's momentum.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god, are we still alive? What did I just say, what did I just say? Those trucks are a fucking menace!" Abby yells hysterically.

Both Olivia and Abby are in shock, but realizing neither one of them is injured, breathe a thankful sigh of relief; but then they hear it. Fear grips their heart, a loud rumbling is headed their way. They look at each other with dread knowing what the fast approaching sound means. With no time to escape, they look up in time to see a first sewer pipe collide with the second sending it crashing into them. The car flips front first over the shoulder, down the cliff face and lands upright in a clump of tree branches thirty feet below the freeway.

Screaming, they reach for each other's hand as the car somersaults over the edge. Their seatbelts hold them place as the car goes airborne upside down before landing upright. Abby's head bounces from the dashboard to the passenger window and Olivia's head slams into the steering wheel. With no side impact airbags and no impact from a direct frontal collision, the driver and passenger airbags fail to deploy. The car comes to rest wedged atop a large tree with thick brittle branches that cover the driver's side. Olivia and Abby are bloody, semi-conscious and moaning.

/

"You have to admit, living in the valley has its perks".

"No I don't, it's hot, thirty miles from downtown, has no beach and everything closes at ten o'clock on the weekends. I ha…ate the suburbs". Fitz whines in between drinking a Gatorade.

"Excuse me, I believe we are in training for a triathlon. We don't need any unnecessary distractions, plus in choosing our summer locale, I took into consideration your climbing addiction. Our apartment is a mere fifteen minutes from Rocky Peak so you can sneak in some climbing whenever you want. You may now commence apologizing for your insensitive remarks and give me my best bro in the world props". Jake smirks, giving Fitz the royal carry-on wave.

"Fine the one bright spot in an otherwise barren social wasteland you've banished us to is our proximity to better than mediocre rock face".

"Where's the love Fitz? Did you leave it back east with Mellie?" Fitz punches Jake in the arm.

"Hey, I'm driv'n here!"

"Do not mention her name or Amanda's in my presence. I can't believe we let Big Gerry talk us out of pressing charges against those two".

"Let it go, there's nothing we can do about it now. Amanda is back to weaving baskets and popping pills from a paper cup at the Northshore clinic for the rich and crazy and Mellie is touring Europe with a handpicked Trunchbull as an escort, compliments of her father, and no friends because her little stunt". Jake chuckles. "You have to admit the expressions on Big Gerry's and Daddy Pearson's faces after Mellie explained to the attorneys why she was standing naked in our apartment chanting while you were unconscious was priceless. I laughed so hard I thought I was going to cough up an organ".

Scratching his nose, Fitz laughs, "It was pretty hilarious. Pearson and Gerry just sat there all red-faced, huffing and fuming and calculating in their heads how much it was going to cost them to make the whole fiasco go away. Pearson is making Mellie go through intensive therapy once she returns stateside. Hopefully once she starts law school she'll find some other poor soul to latch onto and leave me the fuck alone".

"Did you see that?" Jake immediately slows down the truck he is driving. All the cars ahead of him slow and pull to the left to avoid tire debris and the cylindrical objects falling off the jack-knifed up ahead.

"Yeah, pull over let's help. Jake pulls over to the right shoulder next to the remaining strip of guardrail. Several drivers have parked their cars in front of the second sewer pipe to prevent it from rolling any further. Other drivers are on their phones calling the highway patrol and fire department. A couple people are peering over the cliff assessing the status of Olivia's car. Fitz and Jake run to the edge of the shoulder.

"Those branches are not going to hold. Jake get the truck, I'll get my gear. Jake runs back to the truck and maneuvers the pick-up to the spot where Olivia's car broke through the guardrail. Fitz grabs his bag from the backseat of the truck and takes out his climbing gear. He straps on his harness and gloves. Jake pulls a rope from the truck bed and wraps it around the truck's tow winch. Fitz fastens his climbing rope and the tow rope to his harness. With his back facing the cliff, he inches to the edge.

"You ready", Jake yells. Fitz nods. Jake turns on the winch motor slowly releasing the tow rope. Fits goes over the side bouncing down the cliff face to the car cradled in the treetops. He reaches the passenger side and peers in the window. He sees two women slumped over and bleeding. Her tries the door; it's locked. He bangs on the passenger window to get their attention; no reaction. He bangs harder yelling, "can you hear me? Olivia, woozy, stirs slightly. Fitz yells to the driver to unlock the door. Olivia rubs her forehead to ease the throbbing pain from hitting the steering wheel with her head. She slowly looks at Abby and she can see a man gesturing outside Abby's door. Blurred vision prevents her from making out the man's features. She hears muffled words and tries to focus.

"...n door" is all she can make out.

" _N door", what's in the door,_ she thinks.

The man yells even louder and points to the corner of the window. "Open the door!"

Groggy and disoriented Olivia finally comprehends the man's words. She slowly eases back over to her seat. She lays against her headrest, pausing to rest because of the pain in her head from the steering wheel and her chest from the seatbelt. She blindly feels for the door lock with her left hand. She toggles the switch forward relocking the doors instead of unlocking them.

The man yells, "try again, you're locking the door".

Olivia takes a deep breath and claws at the lock again. The locks click and Fitz opens the passenger door. He catches Abby who falls against his chest. Olivia lapses back into unconsciousness.

Fitz stands on the doorframe to raise Abby's bloody head. "Can you hear me? He asks louder than normal. Abby groans.

"You've been in an accident. It's not safe for you to remain in the car. I'm going to get you out of here and back onto the shoulder of the road. Do you understand?"

"Wha, wha, what happened", Abby whimpers, then passes out.

Fitz wraps his tandem rope around Abby being careful not to entangle it with the seatbelt or tow rope. He unbuckles the seatbelt after he is sure Abby is securely attached to his harness. He eases her out the door and they dangle beside the car for a few seconds as he pulls Abby's limp body to his side. Using the doorframe for leverage, he uses his feet to push away from the car. After three tries, he clears the car and hangs pressed against the side of the cliff. He yells up to Jake to restart the winch and he begins to ascend the climbing rope hand over hand up the cliff. When he reaches the top, spectators help ease Abby onto the ground. The muffled sound of sirens blaring in the distance alert everyone help is on the way.

 _Crack, crack, woosh!_ A branch breaks under the weight of Olivia's car and her car sinks farther down into the branches. "The car is slipping", someone yells.

"The driver is still in the car I'm going back down", Fitz shouts.

"It's too dangerous man, the fire department will be here any moment and the highway patrol just arrived, Jake tries to reason.

"The car is slipping. I can bring her up in a couple minutes. Turn on the winch". Jake shakes his head but follows Fitz's instructions.

He's about to go over the edge when they all hear it; the sound of the car slipping through the tree limbs again. Fitz jumps over the edge without a second thought. Jake turns on the winch and Fitz is at the car no time to spare. He enters the car, the driver is still out cold. Kneeling on the passenger seat, he lifts the woman's head, her face, even though covered with blood is familiar to him. He reaches over her to unbuckle her seatbelt. The driver's door is caved in and pressing against the seatbelt casing making it difficult to unbuckle. He tries to press the release harder but the buckle still won't budge. The buckle is jammed and he needs something to cut the belt. As he pulls back, the injured woman regains consciousness. He stops to help her.

"My head…my head really hurts. What happened? Where am I?"

"You were in an accident and you're trapped in your seat. I'm going leave for a minute to get something to cut you out".

Olivia touches head brow and notices Abby is no longer in the car next to her. "I'm bleeding. Oh god, I'm bleeding. Abby…my friend Abby…where is Abby?" Olivia squirms about searching nervously.

"Your friend is being taken care of. We need to focus on you right now okay". Fitz takes her hand to calm her down. A warm charge flows between them. They both stop moving.

Fitz decides to try one more time to release the seatbelt. He reaches over and tug at the buckle a few more times; nothing budges. He pulls back, his bare arm crosses Olivia's face. She grabs Fitz's forearm and whispers something he can't make out. Thinking she is expressing fear, Fitz reassures her he is going to help her.

"Don't worry miss, I'm going to get you out".

Olivia gazes into Fitz's eyes. He gazes back, squinting his eyes, trying to remember why she seems familiar. He freezes. He knows those eyes.

Olivia blinks several times, hoping, silently praying he is the person she believes him to be. She taps the birthmark on his arm and whispers, "I remember the lightning bolt". This time Fitz hears her loud and clear. Reaching for her neck, Olivia pulls out something hidden under her blouse. It's the ring, the ring Fitz gave her, the ring that is the symbol of their serendipitous friendship. In an instant their eyes lock, their minds become awash with jumbled images of their brief encounters. Synchronicity takes over regulating their breaths, coordinating their heartbeats and linking their thoughts.

 **Fitz POV**

"Olivia", I breathe shakily, so overcome with emotion I tremble. She's here, she's really here, Olivia is here with me. Tears fill both our eyes.

"Fitz", she calls, her voice equally wrought with overwhelming emotion.

"O…O…Olivia", I repeat almost afraid to touch her, thinking she could vanish at any moment.

"Fitz", she repeats.

We grab onto each other and cry. "I remember Fitz, I remember you", she cries.

Suddenly the car drops again. The slack in my tether gives way and I'm jerked from her embrace and out the car.

"Fitz', she screams reaching out for me. "Olivia", I scream back.

Twisting violently in mid air, I yell to Jake. "Jake it's Olivia, it's Olivia in the car".

"What?" He yells back cuffing his ear.

"O-l-i-v-i-a, is…in… the…car", I scream at the top of my lungs.

"Shit", Jake staggers backward stunned by the news. He rubs his temple with his middle finger. He cannot believe what Fitz just said. He rakes his fingers through his hair nervously in total astonishment. _Olivia is here…now… in the car_.

"She's trapped I need to cut her out the seatbelt".

"Hold on", Jake yells. He sprints to the truck opens the glove box, grabs a utility knife and runs back.

"Heads up", he shouts, then thinks better. He can't chance me dropping the knife. This is may be our only chance to save her. He turns on the winch and draws me closer. He has one of the bystanders tie another rope around the knife and lower it to me. I retrieve the knife, open it and cut it free from the third rope. I hear more branches breaking beneath me.

Yanking the tow rope, I bellow, "lower me now the car is dropping".

"Fitz", I hear Olivia screaming my name hysterically.

"Hold on Olivia. Hold on! I'm coming!"

"Hurry Jake, the car is slipping!"

I finally reach the car and climb back in. Olivia latches on to me tight.

"It's okay Livvie. I'll have you out in a second". The car slips again.

"More slack", I yell.

"Hurry Fitz, please hurry!" Olivia is frantic. She yanks the shoulder strap desperately trying to free herself. I grab her hands and look her in the eyes. Her breathing is rapid, her chest is heaving and her tears are flowing but she listens to my voice.

"Trust me Livvie. We are in this together; we are going to make it out of here together. I will not leave your side". I caress her face and she settles down.

I make quick work of cutting away the seatbelt strap. As soon as she is free, we hear the deafening sound of branches scraping the sides of the car.

"Olivia I'm going to tie you to my harness and I need you wrap your legs and arms around me okay. Can you do that Livvie?" Olivia nods.

"Okay, Olivia let's do this". I quickly tie the rope around Olivia's waist and snap the rope to my harness. She lays her head on my chest and wraps her arms around my torso. Together we ease out the passenger side. Without thinking, I kiss her on the brow.

"On the count of three, we're going to push away from the door, you ready?" She shakes her head.

"One..two…three…"

"Before we have a chance to push away from the car, one of the large branches supporting the car breaks, the dry brittle limb no longer able to bear the car's weight. The car lurches backward then drops from underneath us plummeting trunk first through the tree branches down the cliff a hundred feet exploding in a ball of fire and igniting the surrounding drought parched vegetation. The fire spreads quickly engulfing the cliff base and sides within seconds. Olivia and I dangle, twisting in the wind as smoke, flames and heat rise from the bottom of the canyon floor. I feel Olivia slip a little bit between the ropes so I hold her tighter and she does the same to me. I hear the winch straining to retract as we slowly ascend to the shoulder.

"Almost there", I hear Jake shout. Relief spreads over me.

"Hang on Olivia we're almost to the top". She doesn't say anything, her only response is to hug me tighter.

All of sudden the winch gear jams and we jerk to a stop. The clasp securing the rope around Olivia breaks and she slides down my body to my waist. She screams and tries to pull herself back up to my chest. I let go the climbing rope and reach to help her but it's hard because she's struggling dead weight. The tow rope slips and we drop to a few feet above the flames. Olivia is screaming.

"My leg, my leg, my leg, my leg is burning! Fitz my leg!" She kicks wildly trying to keep her legs away from the flames.

"Oh god Olivia! Hold on. I won't let you fall. I need you to stop kicking sweetheart, I going to try to swing us over to the cliff face and grab a hand hold". My words are useless Olivia is in a full-blown panic and cannot hear me. I try to gain the momentum needed to swing but Olivia's movements counteract my efforts. I'm about to try again when I see two firefighters coming along side of us. They pull Olivia up, hook a dual harness around us, wrap us in a flame retardant blanket and lift us to safety.

Once we're on the shoulder the firefighters unhook the dual harness and help us out of my gear. Olivia collapses in my arms. She's wearing shorts so I examine both her legs. I see where the flames burned her calf. I point the injury out to the paramedics who rush to access our status. Olivia clings to me for dear life. I caress her cheek and kiss the crown of head.

"Fitz", she whispers to me.

"Yes Livvie".

"That's three," she says and faints.

 **Xxxxxxxxxxx**

 **AN- So…ooh, what do you think? I had written three different scenarios for the third rescue and decided to use this one. "Through the Fire" came on the radio when I was driving home trying to decide which scenario to use. I think I made the right call. Do you recall the first two rescues? I'm glad everyone likes this version of Jake. Despite what the show writers think, it is possible to have a friend that sticks with you through thick and thin and does not betray you.**

 **All right two chapters down, one more to go before I move on to Desert Princess. The next chapter will cover what happened after the accident, the rest of the summer and how they eventually became Olitz. Be warned, Mellie will make another appearance- the woman is relentless. LOL**

SAD – Special Activities Division of the Central Intelligence Agency; covert operations

SOG – Special Operations Group of the Central Intelligence Agency; high threat military or covert operations the US does not want to be overtly associated with

 **Thank you for your reviews and PMs. Hope you are enjoying the holiday and have a great week.**


	9. Chapter 8

AN- Say what, three chapters in three weeks? Yeah baby that's right, three chapters in three weeks, the muses are on a roll so I'm going with the flow.

* * *

 **Tri-Olitz**

 **Chapter 8**

 _ **Some things are destined to be—it just takes us a couple of tries to get there". J.R. Ward**_

 **Olivia POV**

What's happening? One minute I'm in an ambulance, the next a wall of faceless bodies clad in white and green are rushing me to the emergency room. Everything around me is a disjointed blur of confusing images. I feel out-of-sync with time and reality. Fitz holding my hand is the only thing anchoring me in the present but with every revolution of the gurney's wheels, I can feel Fitz's grip loosening. The gurney suddenly comes to a halt and I'm lifted on a three count unto a hospital bed. In the midst of the hustle and bustle to get me situated, I momentarily lose eye contact with Fitz and the next thing I know Fitz is no longer holding my hand. As the faceless bodies begin to thin out, I catch a glimpse of two nurses pushing a resistant Fitz out the door. My touchstone to reality is gone and I am alone in a room of strangers.

The bright ceiling lights, the sterile white walls and the constant bombardment of questions about my physical status add to my mounting uneasiness. Memories of my mother's last moments in the hospital that fateful night long ago fill my mind. I remember my distraught father holding my hand as we ran alongside the gurney rolling my mother down the white walled hallway and the garbled voices of nurses and doctors shouting out vitals and instructions. So much activity was swirling around me that night, my seven-year-old mind must have blocked out a great deal in order to cope. Now I remember everything and feel fear, an overwhelming sense of loss and grief well up within me.

Taking in deep breaths, I try to focus. The urge to flee is pressing. Run, I need escape this place. Nothing good ever happens in a hospital. Pain and suffering reside inside these walls and I want no part of it. _Where is Abby? Oh god, is she dead?_

"I have to get out of here", I say as I try to rise from the bed only to be pushed down firmly by one the attending nurses.

"Ms. Pope you are in no condition to leave. We need to dress your head wound and tend to your burn. Please calm down or we'll be forced to restrain you".

Where is Fitz? He is here. I know it. He is not a figment of my imagination. He saved me. He was with me. He cradled me in his arms and promised me everything would be all right. He promised to stay with me but he's not here. Where is he? _Run I think, run and find Fitz._

Monitors are beeping all around me, a blood pressure cuff is cutting off the circulation in my arm and a thermometer is wedged under my tongue like a harpoon.

" _Patient is a 20 year old female, BP is 140/90, heart rate 80, respiration 24, temperature 98.8, pupils are equal but sluggish, probable trauma from head impacting a steering wheel, laceration at hairline, second degree burns to the right leg, minor smoke inhalation, and moderate ligature abrasion and bruising from seat restraint._

"Look, I'm fine, bandage my leg, give me an aspirin and let me go home".

I use the rolling instrument table as a crutch and try to get up from the bed once more. My head is pounding and throbbing at the same time and the pain from my leg is excruciating. I collapse back onto the bed winded from my injuries. Damn more pain, I wince at the rough insertion the IV into my arm.

" _Do you know where you are Ms. Pope? Are you in any pain? Do you know what happened to you?_

What the hell? Who the fuck asked that stupid ass question? Of course, I'm in pain and you are inflicting more. Do I know what happened? Yes, I'm quite clear on what happened. I just escaped plummeting to my death in a fiery inferno atop a two-door sedan funeral pyre. I remember Fitz rappelling down to save me and the car giving way the moment I'm secure in his arms. I remember screaming his name and reaching out to him. I remember watching the car crash and explode beneath us. I remember seeing the fast moving fire consume the dry brush and I remember feeling the flames nipping at the soles of my feet. Oh and the smoke, the smoke was everywhere. The heat from the blaze; god it was so hot. I kept kicking and twisting to avoid the flames but it was useless. I could feel the fire scorching my skin.

I'm not sure how it is I'm still alive; how we are alive. My car goes over a cliff, it explodes in a ball of flames and I survive. Sweet Jesus, when did my life turn into a Lifetime movie. I can't stay here, I can't think, I can't breathe. Where is Fitz?

"Fii…itz help me! Help! Fii…itz! Don't you touch me! Go away! Leave me alone!"

"Ms. Pope, Calm down! Calm down!"

Are they serious? Fuck calming down; I'm having a nervous breakdown.

"Fitz! Fii…iitz! Where are you! You promised, you promised!"

 **Fitz POV**

I promised not to leave her. After the ambulance arrives at the hospital, a whirlwind of uniforms descend on us en masse. Keeping pace with the gurney became increasingly difficult the closer we got to the emergency room. Once we reach the examining area Olivia's hand slips from my grasp and the attending nurses brusquely push me out of the room.

Minutes later I hear Olivia screaming my name. My heart stops hearing the fear whelming her cries. Completely forgetting I am in the middle of giving a statement, I sprint back to the examining room. Olivia needs me and that trumps anything and everything. Pushing open the door, I find Olivia standing next to the bed fending off two nurses and a doctor with a silver instrument table. When she sees me, she immediately extends her arms to me, wordlessly begging me to help her, to rescue her. I run to her, sweep her up my arms and push the tray table away. She throws her arms around my neck clinging to me with all her might, whimpering between hyperventilated breaths, " _you're here, you're not a dream, you saved me again_ ".

"Yes Olivia, I'm here. You're safe. Can you calm down for me? Look at me. It's just you and me okay. Come on; breathe in and out with me". Even bruised and disheveled she is a breathtaking beauty.

Jake after hightailing it after me stands at the door watching us with concern. I wink to him letting him know _I've got this_. He nods his head and goes back to finish giving his statement to the highway patrol.

I lay her on the bed and I brush the back of my hand along her jawline to calm her. We spend the next few minutes attuning our breaths. I hold her trembling body to my chest, gently rocking her back and forth until our hearts beat in unison.

"I don't want them touching me Fitz", she whispers into my chest.

"Ms. Pope we need to examine you and finish treating your injuries.

The doctor's tone is soft and sympathetic. Olivia refuses look at the doctor, she continues to bury her face in my chest. The doctor looks to me for guidance. I rub Olivia's arm and give the doctor a bobble head nod.

"Olivia, I will stay in the room with you the entire time. I will not leave you, I promise. Please let them help you Olivia, please". I kiss the top of her head and rub her back.

"You promise to stay with me?" I look at the doctor who acknowledges it will be allright.

Olivia gives an acquiescent nod of the head. I hug her gently and step aside.

"I'm going to stand over there where you can see me while the doctor and nurses treat you, okay".

"No", Olivia snaps shaking her head and gripping my shirt. I glance at the doctor who is already waiting to give me an understanding nod of approval.

"All right Olivia I won't leave your side".

The doctor proceeds to examine Olivia with me holding her hand.

After the doctor and nurses leave, I climb onto the bed and take Olivia in my arms. Her being in my arms feels extraordinary, natural and familiar. I have no doubt in my mind we belong together. Today's events prove the universe has linked our hearts and souls. She is it for me.

I think I hear her mutter something but she is so still I dismiss the thought, but then I hear it again.

"Olivia did you say something?" Olivia lifts her head to look me in the face. She whispers the words again and takes my hand to place it on her cheek.

"My hero", she says with watery eyes.

I kiss the top of her head and think to myself, _Olivia, I'll be whatever you want me to be. You are already my world_.

* * *

 **Harrison POV**

After Olivia falls asleep Fitz steps out of the room to look for Jake and runs into Harrison.

"Fitz is it?" Harrison asks extending his hand. Fitz nods. Harrison Wright, Olivia's cousin".

"Man, I have no words to express my and my family's gratitude for what you did today. Risking your life to save my cousin, I...I…I just". Harrison grabs Fitz in a bear hug, tears of thankfulness stream down his cheeks. He releases Fitz after a minute or so, wipes his eyes, straightens his posture and returns to his manly stance.

"You and your friend Jake saved both of them, right".

"Yes, I could not have rescued Olivia or Abby without Jake's help".

A tall brown-haired doctor wearing black kippah enters the waiting area.

"Is the family of Olivia Pope here?"

"Yes, I'm her cousin", Harrison says stepping forward. "How is she? Can I see here?"

"Yes, however, before you go in, I'd like to have a word with you". The doctor motions for Harrison to step away so he can speak to him in private.

"Doctor is something wrong? Is Olivia okay?"

"We want to keep your cousin overnight for observation but she insists on going home".

"How bad are her injuries?"

"She sustained a moderate concussion, skull laceration and second degree burns to one leg. She also has some minor bruising across her chest from the seatbelt. She's in no condition to take care of herself, at least for the next few days. The residual affects from the concussion will impair her balance and possibly her vision. I advise she stay here unless someone will be around to observe and care for her for the next 72 hours. If you decide to take her home and she exhibits other symptoms or if the ones I mentioned worsen you will need to bring her to the hospital immediately".

"What other symptoms should we be on the lookout for?"

"Nausea, sluggishness, neck pain, slurred speech or ringing in the ears. Wake her up every couple of hours for the next 24 hours and bring her back in three days for a follow-up visit". Harrison's phone rings.

"Thank you doctor, can you excuse me for a minute". The doctor tells Harrison he needs to attend to other patients but he'll work his way back to Olivia's room before she is discharged. Harrison shakes the doctor's hand then answers his phone.

"Hey Uncle Eli. Yes, I just spoke with the doctor. Liv is okay, a concussion, bruising and second-degree burns. She doesn't want to stay overnight in the hospital. I know, I know, bad memories".

Fitz overhears Harrison's conversation and remembers Olivia's mother died of cancer and surmises Olivia's objection to staying overnight has something to do that hospital experience. He thinks, _no wonder she wants to leave as soon as possible_. Harrison walks farther down the hallway away from Fitz.

"Unc, you will not believe who rescued her".

"Who", Eli asks.

"It was the guy from her sketch, Fitz". The phone goes silent. Eli cannot believe what he is hearing.

"Uncle…Uncle Eli are you there?"

"Yes I'm here. Are you sure Harrison? Are you sure it's him?"

"Yes, I've talked to him and he's standing thirty feet away from me. Uncle Eli the man repelled down a burning cliff twice to save her".

"Did he know it was her?"

"Not at first, how could he?"

"Harry I'm at the airport. I will be in LA by nine. I'll meet you at the house. Tell Olivia I love her and I'm on my way".

"Okay Unc, see you soon".

* * *

Later that night a yellow cab drops Eli off in front of a Zuma beachfront home in Malibu. He walks to the front door pulling his luggage behind him. Harrison having seen the cab drive up from living room window opens the door before Eli has chance to ring the doorbell. The two quickly embrace and Harrison helps Eli in with his luggage.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I checked the status of your flight and estimated your arrival time. I've looking out the window for the last 15 minutes".

"Where is she?"

"Upstairs asleep in the third bedroom. I'll put your luggage in the downstairs bedroom", Harrison says taking the suitcase handle in hand.

"Thanks Harry. Eli pats Harrison on the shoulder and heads upstairs to see Olivia.

Eli slowly opens Olivia's bedroom and is surprised by what he sees. Olivia is in bed with her arms wrapped around Fitz. Both are asleep. Suddenly music starts to play. Fitz wakes first and gently strokes Olivia's face.

"Olivia, time to wake up sweetheart".

"Uhn-uhn, not again. I'm tired Fitz, let me sleep".

"No can do kid, you heard the doctor, every couple of hours".

Eli takes the opportunity to make his presence known. "Olivia".

Olivia pops up at the sound of her father's voice. "Daddy, you're here!"

Eli rushes over to the bed. Fitz gets up to make room for Eli. "Yes baby, daddy is here". Eli glances up at Fitz and mouths _thank you_. Fitz leaves the room so Eli and Olivia can talk. Father and daughter hold each other crying for the next several minutes.

"How are you feeling baby girl?"

"Tired, achy and my head hurts. If I move my leg, the pain from the burn gets worse. Considering how things could have gone, I feel pretty good", she smiles.

"Vee, I don't know what I would have done if I lost you. When Harrison called and said you were in an accident my mind went blank and my body numb. You are all I have Vee, all I have left of your mother". Eli draws Olivia in closer and hugs her tighter. Nothing is said for a while, nothing needs to be said. Olivia is safe and in relatively good shape and that is all that matters.

"So Fitz, that's…that's…uhm".

"I think the words you're searching for dad are incredible, a miracle, unbelievable, inconceivable…amazing".

"Olivia I don't know to make of this. I've never heard of anything close to this. This connection you and Fitz share I …I …cannot fathom the meaning or purpose. What I do know is you two have a destiny unlike any other. For some reason your lives are intertwined in a way defying time and reason. If I didn't know the truth I'd call your story a work of fiction or a fanciful tale. Where do you two plan to go from here?"

"Honestly, I have no idea dad. We really haven't had a chance to say more than a few words to each other. I have no idea why he and Jake were on the highway, why they stopped to help us or why they are in LA". Olivia tugs at Eli's shirt. The pounding from her headache is still present but her mind is filled with questions about Fitz _._ _Is this it? Is this the end of their star-crossed connection or is there more to their story?_ In her heart, she feels this is the beginning of something great. The unanswered question is does Fitz feel the same way.

Eli kisses Olivia on the head. "Well I guess you should get the answers to those questions, don't you". Olivia squeezes and kisses Eli's hand. "I'll send him back in". He kisses her on each cheek and leaves.

Fitz is standing in the hallway, one leg bent with the heel of his foot against the wall. His hands are in his pockets, his head down and his eyes are closed. His mind is so absorbed with thoughts of Olivia he doesn't hear Eli approach.

"Fitz, Eli says. Fitz's head snaps in the direction of Eli's voice. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you".

"No need to apologize, I was just a little preoccupied thinking". Fitz extends his hand to Eli, Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III, pleasure to meet you sir".

"Eli Pope and the honor is mine Fitzgerald. Today you saved my baby girl from a horrible death and I am forever in your debt. I can never repay you for what you did. If there is ever anything I can do for you, anything at all..." Eli breaks down. Knowing he almost lost Olivia is too much for him. Fitz takes hold him and lets him weep against his shoulder. Eli quickly regains his composure and wipes away his tears. Having no appropriate words to express his gratitude, Eli takes Fitz's hand and pats it affectionately.

"I think you and my daughter need to talk. Are you spending the night?"

"I promised Olivia I'd stay with her. My friend Jake will bring me a change of clothes in the morning".

"I'll have my nephew fix up one guest rooms for you, although I suspect Olivia expects you to stay with her tonight".

"Uh…uh…I've been waking her every couple of hours as the doctor instructed".

Eli laughs, "no need to be nervous son. You've more than proven you are a trustworthy young man".

"Thank you sir, I try to be".

"Good man, now go have a talk with my daughter".

"Yes sir".

Entering the bedroom, Fitz finds Olivia sitting at the foot of the bed massaging her temples. He quietly closes the door and walks toward her.

"Head still bothering you?"

"Yeah, although the ringing in my ears has stopped, so I guess that's progress".

Fitz smiles warmly locking eyes with Olivia. "Do you want to talk about what happened?" Olivia pats the space on the bed next to her.

"Where do we begin?"

"How about we start with formal introductions?" Offering her hand to him, "Olivia Carolyn Pope, rescuee".

Taking her hand in his, "Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III, rescuer".

"Strange, I've known you since I was seven and have never known your complete name. Hey Grant, any relation to Senator Grant from California?"

"Unfortunately, yes".

"Dare I ask you to elaborate?"

"That Ms. Pope is a story for another time, I wouldn't want to cause the ringing to return to your ears", he smirks.

"Next question, why are you in LA?"

"Jake and I are training for the San Francisco Triathlon, kind of a last hoorah before we enter the navy in the fall". Olivia gasps.

Fitz grabs her hand. "Olivia, are you okay? Are you in pain?"

"No, it's not that. Fitz, Abby and I are here training for the triathlon too".

"What?"

"Abby and I are here training for the San Francisco Triathlon too".

"Hm". Fitz looks straight forward, stupefied by Olivia's revelation.

"Hm". Olivia looks straight forward too, speechless and just as perplexed.

"Fitz I think I need to lay down".

"I think I need to lie down too".

They crawl to the head of the bed and lie down. Near proximity alters their individual breathing patterns and within minutes, both their chests are rising and falling together. Their hands inch toward the open space between them and instinctively entwine. Fitz's large strong hand shelters Olivia's as he curls their hands into one joined unit. An unconscious certainty of "this is meant to be", hidden in the form of a warm feeling travels instantly from their hands to their souls. Turning to face one another, they bask in the silence of the moment each quietly contemplating the meaning of their ever-unfolding serendipitous relationship.

Using his free hand, Fitz gently takes hold of Olivia's chin. "Olivia whatever this connection is between us I want to explore it further and see where it takes us. Although in my heart I'm sure where our destiny lies, I hope you feel the same way too".

"I'm in total agreement with you Fitz but I think we should start off as friends first. I have strong feelings for you and I don't want these feeling to interfere with or cause us to skip over any part of our journey together; if that makes sense".

"It does because I'm equally attracted to you. So let's get acquainted as friends first before for we really, really get to know one another", he says with a wink and a wiggle his eyebrows. Olivia blushes.

"Agreed". They shake hands, the playful contact sending a mutual spark throughout their bodies. Olivia wraps her arms around Fitz and rests her head on his chest. They snuggle as if they have done it for years and drift off to sleep smiling.

* * *

"Are you sure your father has no reservations about you coming home so soon Miss Mellie", Helga her chaperon asks. Mellie is racing around their hotel room packing her belongings.

"Helga, I'm going home. You can finish out our itinerary compliments of my father or you can return to the states with me and go home, the choice is yours but understand I'm out of here and on a flight to New York in three hours. Something has come up which requires my immediate attention". Mellie locks the latches on her brown and tan Louis Vuitton steamer trunk before disappearing to the bathroom to collect her mountain of toiletries.

As planned, three hours later Mellie is sitting in first class sipping champagne and scrolling through the headlines of various American news sites on her IPad. The edges of her mouth curl up in a sinister smile.

 _ **Senator Grant's Son Heralded A Hero**_

 _ **Hero Fitzgerald Grant III, Son of Prominent Republican California Senator Saves Two Lives**_

 _ **Saved From Fiery Death Thanks To Son of Senator Grant**_

The second the plane lands, Mellie pulls out her cell phone and taps the second name on her contacts list. After a couple of rings, a deep booming voice answers.

"Well hello there, I've been expecting your call". Mellie grins with delight.

"Big Gerry I'm home".

* * *

AN- Well, there you have it. Olivia and Fitz are together at last. Cuteness and sexy time are up ahead and another encounter with Mellie McCrazy. What do you think she and Big Gerry plan to do?

I love receiving your feedback, so if you have a chance please write a review.

For you Desert Princess fans, I'll be dropping a sneak peek very soon.

Have a great week.


	10. Chapter 9

AN – So as it turns out I had enough typed for a fourth chapter, so I thought I might as well post it. I think you'll enjoy it.

TriOlitz

Chapter 9

* * *

 **A Month After the Accident**

"Fitz I'm all right, the ointment the doctor prescribed is amazing, the burn is completely healed, the skin on my leg just feels a little tight after we run". Grimacing, Olivia sits on a bench at the end of the jogging trail massaging her leg.

"Maybe we should scale back your training a tad". Fitz giving her the smidgen sign with his thumb and index finger.

"Fitzgerald I'm fine. Can we drop this? I really need to regain the ground I lost being sidelined for four weeks".

"Liv, I don't think…don't do that". Olivia puts on her pouty face.

"Olivia you know I can't stand it when you pout". Olivia makes her lip quiver.

"Really woman, the quivering lip; have you no shame! Fine, let's go get the bikes but we're taking the flat route along the beach, no mountain terrain today". Olivia leaps to her feet clapping.

"You little faker", Fitz jests.

Fitz reaches out to grab Olivia, who takes off running to the car. She gets to the car first and does a Rocky dance with her fists raised in triumph. Fitz shaking his head, saunters up to her and presses his body against her, pinning her to the passenger side of the car. He places his hands on the top of the door trapping her between his two arms. He looks down at her, their eyes fix and their breath hitches.

"You Miss Pope are being a very naughty girl".

"Am I now? What do you propose to do about it?" Olivia asks unaware she ended the question with a slow lick of her lips.

Neither moves. Neither wants to move; they are completely engrossed in each other. Their hooded gaze reflects the undeniable urge to touch, to caress, to kiss, raging within their bodies.

"Olivia", he whispers, his voice low and deep, a rich baritone that makes her ears tingle, her toes curl and her clit drip.

 **Olivia POV**

"Yes", I whimper. My mind is screaming, too much, too much, desire overload. How does he do it? His voice is so damn deep and seductive- I'm talking Barry White deep. And his take off your clothes, I want to fuck you senseless glare is driving me wild with pure unadulterated lust.

I stare at him, slowly breathing in as much oxygen as my lungs will take to avoid hyperventilating from my raging libido. Why did I insist on the platonic get-to-know-me-better-as a- friend period? Because all I want is for him to take me, right here, right now. He can get to know me naked. He can get to know how to make me scream. He can get to know how to make me wet. Nah, scratch the last one, he already has that little trick down pat. Is that…is it…is he bulging? Damn! Damn! Damn! God I'm such idiot!"

 **Fitz POV**

I blink my eyes trying to shake free from my sudden bout of _Livvie lust_. I retreat a few steps to create a buffer zone because if I look at Olivia second longer I'll be all o…ver her. And what I mean by all over her, is it will take a high pressure water hose to get me off of her. Why did she lick her lips? Those plump, moist, I bet incredibly soft lips. And, why oh why god did I catch a glimpse of her tongue? Now I can't stop myself from imagining all the phenomenal erotic things she can do to me with her tongue. _Damn it Fitz, calm down boy!_ I quickly adjust my stance and my shorts to relieve the growing tension thundering down under. What is...is she staring at my junk? Damn! Damn! Damn! Fucking friend zone.

* * *

"Hey you two; we're hungry lets go grab a bite, Abby, accompanied by Jake, yells from other side of the car.

"Saved", Fitz and Olivia sigh together. They look at each other confirming what the other is thinking and start laughing.

"What's so funny? Jake asks.

"Nothing", they respond together again and laugh even harder. Their eyes connect, and then just as suddenly the laughter comes it gives way to covert desire.

Abby and Jake shake their heads and wait for Fitz to unlock the car.

Fitz flustered, "we should..."

"Yeah, we should". Olivia agrees.

Fitz unlocks the car doors so everyone can hop in. He and Olivia share a final yearn-for-you glance before getting into the car. Jake rides shotgun, while Abby and Olivia sit in the back seat because they're still a little front seat shy after their accident ordeal. Seatbelts click, the engine starts and Fitz pretends to adjust the rearview mirror. Slightly leaning to her side, Olivia stares out the passenger window, unconsciously running her fingers across her lips. She glances up in time to catch Fitz's gaze. They exchange a look of unspoken resolve. Change is coming, they both recognize it and welcome it.

* * *

Abby and Jake sit speechless and mesmerized by the coordinated pantomime taking place at the table, their forks hang midair in front of their gaping mouths. Oblivious to their captivated audience, Fitz and Olivia perform what has become their regular breakfast ritual. Olivia precision cuts the stack of fruit topped wheat berry pancakes in half, placing half on an empty plate along with all the sliced bananas. She hates fresh bananas; Fitz on the other hand loves them so Olivia makes sure to place every single one on his half of the short stack. Fitz, at the same time splits a Mediterranean egg white omelet and puts half on Olivia's empty plate. Moving their individual plates to the side, Olivia reaches over and positions a large bowl of piping hot oatmeal between them. Fitz sprinkles the accompanying condiments of coconut, walnuts and raisins on top the hot cereal. Olivia pours on the milk, mixes in the ingredients and hands Fitz the stirring spoon. He takes the first taste of the steel cut oat mixture then feeds Olivia the next spoonful. Dissatisfied with the flavor blend, their faces scrunch, and Fitz quickly adds more raisins and Olivia more milk. They take another sample and smile, silently agreeing they have struck the right ratio of dried fruit to milk. Olivia hands Fitz his own spoon and they go on to eat rest of the oatmeal. Jake looks over at Abby and pushes her chin up to close her mouth.

"Olivia, Fitz is there something you want to tell us?"

Confused by Abby's question they stare at her blankly.

"Tell you about what", they question in unison? What do you mean?"

"Your little breakfast rite", Jake points out.

"We share our food, what's the big deal?" Fitz says honestly missing the relevance of their query.

"The big deal is for as long as I have known Olivia she has been a borderline germaphobe, now she's licking your spit off spoons".

"Abby!" Olivia snaps.

"What, well it's true", Abby counters unabashed.

Jake adds, "Fitz since when do you share food? I recall a time you threaten to put my fingers through a meat grinder for taking a pack of your skittles, now you're splitting breakfast entrees with Olivia".

"You guys are blowing this way out of proportion".

"We share our food, no big deal. We are friends after all. Accept it and move on", Olivia defends.

She and Fitz give each other the " _we sure told them"_ nod and resume eating breakfast.

"Defensive", Abby smirks, "touchy", Jake adds, winking to each other and grinning.

* * *

This slimy prick is lucky termination is not part of this particular contract or I'd shove an ice pick up his nose Charlie muses. The man, Kevork Bedrosian, is the balding, thickset manager of the building where Fitz and Jake are subletting an apartment. Charlie and the manager are standing front of the sublet in the sweltering valley heat. For the last twenty minutes, every question Charlie asks Bedrosian, he responds with some vague bullshit answer.

"Look, all I know is the apartment is paid through the end of September".

Charlie peels off $100 bill from his wad and hands it to the opportunistic manager.

Bedrosian takes the money and wipes the sweat beading across his brow with his forearm.

"Okay, maybe about three, three and half weeks ago I saw the Grant kid and his buddy load one of those big ford trucks with suitcases and bikes. I haven't seen them since".

"Did anyone ever come to visit them?"

"What do you think I do all day, sit on my ass? I manage this place, which means I'm busy handling complaints and problems all day long. I can't remember or pay attention to who comes and goes".

Charlie stares at Bedrosian completely unconvinced of the man's claims of a hectic schedule. He hands over another $100 bill. "Does this jar any memories?"

"Well, now I think about it, there were two women helping them load the truck; a cute black girl and a tall redhead".

"Did Grant mention where they were going?"

"Can't say I recall hearing Grant mention anything specific".

Charlie, growing tired of Bedrosian's repeated piecemeal disclosures, hands over another three bills to the tight-lipped stoolie in the hope of receiving information that is more useful.

Bedrosian counts his money one bill at a time, then stuffs his windfall into his front shirt pocket.

"Yes, it's all coming back to me. I heard the two women mention a beach house near Malibu; something about it having five bedrooms, a music room and a gym. They also said the house was couple of blocks away from a Buddhist run pod center".

Charlie pulls out his phone and walks away from Bedrosian without saying another word.

Charlie texts:

CB: Got _some useful intel_

BG: _What did you find out?_

CB: _Junior moved out rt after the accident. Super says a blk girl & a redhd helped ur son & Jake pack up their stuff. No one has seen them since._

BG: _What about the tracker on his phone?_

CB: Ur son is smart, he left the phone at the apartment

BG: _You have his account info, where is he spending his money?_

CB: _His accounts r closed. I have a lead I need check out. I'll call u if it pans out._

* * *

"Your honor I am ashamed and embarrassed by my past behavior. Honestly, I don't blame Mr. Grant for obtaining a restraining order against me. Looking back if I had someone in my life doing the things I did to him, I'd also seek a restraining order. All I can say is I was going through a difficult time in my life and recognize I latched onto Fitzgerald Grant as a way to gain some stability and happiness. I owe him, his family and my family a huge apology for my obsessive behavior and the trouble I caused".

"Ms. Pearson I see you've completed a voluntary psychiatric treatment program. The doctors give you glowing marks. They also attest you have come to grips with your compulsive obsessive disorder. According to the report your doctors state it appears your condition was brought on by extreme mental strain related to a family tragedy. In their opinion, you have acquired and mastered the necessary coping skills needed to prevent a repeat of this type of emotional break in the future. I must say I commend you for voluntarily seeking help and dedicating yourself to the work of recovery. That being said, the court therefore rescinds the restraining order and orders the expungement of said order from your record. Congratulations and good luck Ms. Pearson".

Thank you your honor for giving me a clean slate, I am anxious to get on with my life and prove to everyone I hurt I have recovered".

The judge bangs his gavel dismissing the court. Mellie hugs her attorney and shakes the hands of the two psychiatrists her father paid to serve as character witnesses. After a round of carefully rehearsed thank yous she makes way down the courthouse steps to a waiting towncar. She slides in and kisses one of the occupants on the cheek.

"Hi daddy".

"Well?"

"Everything went exactly as planned. The restraining order was canceled and my record is clean".

"Good".

"Have you found you missing son Gerry?"

"No, but we're close".

"Close isn't going to cut it. We need to strike while the iron is hot and capitalize on his hero status ASAP".

"All in good time my friend. The first order of business is to get Mellie ready. Step one is complete, now we need to fix her image, give her a cause, something to make her the idea political wife. Maybe mental illness; she could be this generation's Betty Ford".

"Hell no, it will reflect badly on our family" Pearson barks. "How about having her do something culturally centered like advocating for the preservation of a national treasure or raising funds for a monument dedicated to a modern era president- maybe Reagan?"

Mellie, not wanting to be left out of the conversation suggests hunger, AIDS or child immunization.

"Hunger is already touted by everybody and his brother. Hollywood has the lock on AIDS and only mothers of preschoolers and the AMA care about immunizations. No, you need some issue impacting young and old", Gerry strategizes.

"Literacy? We can focus on the financial and social toll of illiteracy".

"Hmm, it affects young and old, noncontroversial, holds the potential for great photo ops and is easily relatable. Darling I think you've found your platform".

"What about your son? How do we get him back on track? He and Mellie do not exactly mesh well", Pearson asks with skepticism.

"Let me worry about Fitzgerald. You focus on getting Mellie's name and platform out there. Focus on high profile fundraising events in key markets and I'll have a high-powered fundraising gala in California in a month. I'll make sure Fitz is there and photographed making nice with Mellie. We can use our media contacts to play up the hero and the advocate angle".

"Isn't he going into the navy?"

"There's our million dollar photo. Mellie seeing her man off as he goes to serve and protect this great nation; it will be iconic". Gerry conveniently fails to mention Fitz may have a girlfriend. He is a bottom-line realist. He knows framing a narrative Fitz is willing to go along with is key to winning the White House. The redhead may prove an acceptable alternative if Mellie doesn't work out.

* * *

 **Two Months After the Accident**

"Is that her?'

"Yes, Olivia Pope age 19, sophomore at Princeton

-Mother decease, father a curator at the Smithsonian

-No siblings

-In Los Angeles training for the San Francisco triathlon

-Rescued by Fitzgerald Grant and Jacob Ballard two months ago from a car accident

-Nothing to indicate she and Grant are involved or knew each other before the accident

-The redhead Abby Whelan and Ballard however appear to be in a relationship, they are sharing a room

\- The group's day to day routine varies except on Sundays when they all have breakfast together at a popular local diner"

"Is that where I'll unexpectedly run into Fitz?"

"Yes it is. I've also rented you a condo not far from where they are staying.

"Have the speaking engagement details been confirmed?"

"Yes, the California Literacy Initiative kickoff mixer takes place tomorrow evening at the community center. All the influential stakeholders at the forefront of California education reform will be there. During your speech, you will announce the four recipients of the Pearson Innovative Education grant. As the featured speaker, you have a legitimate reason for being in the area. If you and Grant cross paths it will merely appear coincidental".

"You seem to have covered everything, Ms. North. Is my speech ready for tomorrow?" Elizabeth hands Mellie a binder with her speech and dossiers on the other speakers and program organizers.

"If there is nothing else, I'll drop you off at the condo so you can prepare for tomorrow".

"Yes, that would be splendid, thank you", Mellie chimes happily, never opening the binder.

* * *

"Please come out for our California Literacy Initiative kickoff mixer tonight", the perky young blonde-haired woman says handing Jake and Abby a pink colored flyer.

Jake scans the flyer as he walks to the trashcan to dump it. He stops in his tracks when he sees Mellie's name. "What the fuck? What the hell is she doing here?" Abby rushes over to him.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Jake stands stationary unleashing a stream of mumbled expletives that would make a pimp blush.

"How the hell did she find us? This stinks of Pearson and Big Gerry. Damn! Damn! Damn it!"

Abby grabs Jake by the arm to get his attention. "What is Jake? What's wrong?"

"Remember I told you about what happened to Fitz just before we came out here".

"Yeah, what's that got to do with a literacy mixer?" Jake hands Abby the flyer pointing to the name of the featured speaker.

"That's her, if she's here, Fitz's father had something to do with this, I'm sure of it".

"But there's a restraining order against her, she can't come near him; right".

"Yes, but something tells me Big Gerry has found a loophole or managed to call in a favor. Whatever it is, I'm going to find out tonight. Do you think you can call your computer whiz friend Hank and have him find out what he can?"

"You mean Huck, sure, I'll call him right now". Abby uses her cell phone to call Huck. She hands the phone over to Jake who gives Huck all the facts.

* * *

"Abby everything was delicious. You really outdid yourself tonight".

"Thanks Fitz, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I thought it would be nice to celebrate our second month of being roommates; plus Liv and I never really got a chance to thank you guys for saving our lives.

"No thanks necessary", Jake says.

"None whatsoever", Fitz confirms looking at Olivia.

Jake begins gathering the dishes from the table. "Jake and I will do the dishes, you ladies relax".

Looking at his watch and noting the time, Jake puts the plates back down on the table.

"Actually Fitz, Abby and I are going out tonight with a couple athletes who just finished the LA triathlon. They live in the valley. I forgot to mention it earlier".

As soon as Olivia hears the word valley she immediately declares, "I'll pass". Though she has physically recovered from the accident, mentally Olivia still has some latent fears to overcome.

Fitz tells Jake he'll stay behind with Olivia and that he and Abby can take off.

Jake pats Fitz on the shoulder and exits the dining room. Abby is already at the front door, purse in hand waiting for him. He grabs his car keys, puts the flyer in his pocket and heads out the door leaving a nervous Fitz and an anxious Olivia alone.

"I guess me and you are on kitchen duty, Fitz informs Olivia".

"I guess so", she sings happily.

 **Olivia POV**

"I wash, you rinse," I say as calmly as I can.

"Deal", we shake hands playfully.

The entire day had been one of stolen glances, sly smiles and innuendo filled comments. We were dancing around our feelings for one another. Clearly, destiny arranged this evening alone, now it was up to us to take the bait.

I pour the dish soap into the sink and use the sprayer to generate suds while Fitz clears the table. He scrapes the leftover scraps from the plates into the trashcan, then places the stack of plates in the sudsy water. He continues standing next to me, I can feel heat radiating from his body and it's making the hair on my arms stand on end. He smells shower fresh, manly and sexy. _Wait, can a person smell sexy?_ No matter, whatever he's bathed himself in the desired reaction has been achieved. I want him. I want him to take me right here against the counter. I want him to squeeze, pinch, suck, and pound my throbbing lower half until I lose the power of speech.

"Liv…Livvie, are you okay?"

"What? I'm sorry did you say something?" _Apparently, I kind of got lost in my little fantasy._

"Uh, yeah. I've been calling your name for about a minute. Are you sure you are okay?"

"Sorry, I must have spaced out for a second."

"You want to talk about it?"

"No, I definitely don't want to talk", I say with a hint of nervous frustration.

I resume washing the dishes, handing them over to Fitz one by one to rinse. Our fingers graze, the length of contact increases with every dish. He places each rinsed dish on the drying rack. I start to wash the last plate when I suddenly feel his hands gripping mine under the soapy water. He interlaces our fingers and gently strokes the sides of my thumbs with his own. I glance up into his stormy gray eyes and I swear I literally see images of us bumping pelvises. My heart is pounding so hard I'm afraid he can hear it. He looks down at me, he wants the same thing; I can see it written all over his face. He pulls our hands out of the water and places them in front of us. We smile at each other twiddling our soapy fingers playfully. Then without warning, he stops, releases my hands and draws me in close to his body. He cradles the back of my neck, bends down and kisses me softly on the lips. I close my eyes praying this is really happening. He kisses me again, this time the kiss is more demanding. He wants more from me and I gladly reciprocate. Our mouths open, our tongues salute like old comrades, then ardent lovers. We explore our moist cavities searching for the perfect taste, the perfect spot, the perfect delving rhythm. I take his bottom lip between my teeth sucking it into my mouth. _Halleluiah this is finally really happening._ Our bodies are raging with lusty sensations we both are determined to indulge. I pull away breathless.

"Livvie", he pants pulling me back flush against his oh so perfect body.

I feel his desire for me pressing against his shorts seeking my core. In turn, my dripping point of entry instinctively gravitates to his growing member. We rub and grind so hard clothing is barely an impediment. I have to have him now or I will go insane.

"Fitz", I moan in a raspy voice I have never heard myself use. Now I understand the power of hormones. I'm so hot and bothered by all this steady grinding I'm afraid the fabric separating us is going to ignite from the friction. My panties are soaking wet and from what I've read in books or heard from Abby, that bodes well for what's up next. He slowly slips his hand down my shorts and cups my slick untapped sex. Oh god, his touch is sensational, this feeling stupendous. Now I understand what all the hubbub is about and I want to experience it all to the fullest.

He tries to kiss me but I turn my head. Confusion spreads across his face; I can tell he wonders whether he has stepped over the line. He pulls his hand out of my shorts and I lead him towards my bedroom. It's time to kick things up a thousand notches.

Just before we reach the door, he yanks me back and lifts me up. I wrap my legs around his waist and we kiss so sensuously I forget this is merely foreplay and not the main event. I fumble open the door never breaking our lip lock. He lays me down on the bed, straddling me as he runs his hands up and down my upper body.

"Livvie, are you sure you want this?" There's a disquiet behind his question. _Can he tell I've never saddled up before? Is it that obvious?_

"If you mean you, yes I want you. I really, really, really want you Fitz", I say groping his package and kissing his Adam's apple. I can tell he wants to say something, unburden himself. _Oh god, what if there is someone else. What if this connection I feel is all in my head?_

"No, I mean us. Do you want us?"

My fear instantly disappears; I see the longing in his eyes and the need to know if the feeling of connection is truly mutual.

Smiling ear to ear, I caress his face, eager to share my sentiment. "Yes, I want us and all it entails. I want you Fitz, the man who has been my hero since I was seven years old." A look of relief, no a joy, mirroring my own takes over his face.

"Livvie, wait here, I want to show you something". He rolls off me moving to the edge of the bed. I grab his arm to pull him back.

"Really Fitz, is it that important? Can it wait? I'm kind of keyed-up here at the moment". He chuckles realizing my libido is barely in check.

"Humor me Olivia, I need to show you something". I nod approval and Fitz races out of the bedroom. Returning seconds later, he sits down next to me on the bed and hands me a sketchbook.

"What is this?"

"Open it," he gestures.

I open the book, carefully turning each page. My heart swells with love and awe with every new page. The book is filled with sketches of my eyes, my hands, my lips, at different ages. There is a sketch of him holding me on the floor of the museum after the exhibit crashed, another of me waving from the cab in New York and a beautiful charcoal of Jake and us on the steps of the beach house in the Hamptons. It is a record, drawn from memory, of our journey together thus far. It is the most incredible memento I have ever seen. I'm so overcome with emotion, my body shivers and tears stream down my face. This man, this awesome man, has drawn everything in the book from memories of our brief encounters.

I turn to him shaking my head. I try to speak but words prove elusive. He gives me a gentle peck on the lips and rests his brow on mine.

"Olivia I have loved you since you were seven. Not a day has gone by that I haven't thought of you. You are all I want, all I will ever want; please tell me you feel the same way". His hands gently cradle my face.

"Please Olivia, tell me the words I want to hear".

I can hear the anguish, the uncertainty in his plea. Still having no words I stand and go to my dresser and retrieve my sketch of him. I turn and hand it him. He opens it and looks up at me with tears in his eyes. I just keep nodding my head, hoping he understands my feelings for him are the same. I sit down and put my sketch in his book.

"Fitz I have loved since the day on the beach you defended me. I think about you every day too. You are all I want; all I will ever want".

We kiss with wild abandon and our clothes go flying. I'm down to my panties and bra when it occurs to me I should tell him I am completely inexperienced. His hand is down my panties when I push him away again and sit up to face him.

"Fitz I …I've never done the do", I practically scream at him.

"What ?"

"I'm a virgin, okay!" He looks at me confused as if he can't believe what I just said.

"Olivia you are beautiful", he states almost factually.

"Thank you".

"You had a boyfriend".

"Yes, I did".

"For two years".

"Yes, I'm aware of that. Your point being…?"

"I don't mean to be indelicate but how…I…I…how is it possible? I've been taking cold showers for weeks". He snickers, shaking his head and holding his hands up in disbelief.

"Hey, don't laugh. I punch him in the arm.

"Ouch Liv."

Looking at him somberly, in a hushed tone I relate, "My mother left me letters on love, sex, being yourself, everything you can imagine. In one letter, she asked to save myself for the one; the one man I truly love. She said fooling around or practicing with others clouds the mind and complicates an important part of your life that should not be a complicated matter and I agree with her. I'll only have one first time and I refuse to waste it on someone I do not love. I'm not a casual or recreational sex type of girl- never have been, never will be".

"I'm not really laughing at you Olivia. I'm nervous too. The attraction between us is off the charts and I'm afraid I won't live up to your expectations".

"Really? You're kidding right? At one point when you were kissing me I thought we were actually having sex". We both fall back on the bed laughing hysterically.

Our laughter subsides. Fitz turns to me speaking tenderly, "Seriously Livvie, to me you are an inspiration. You ignored peer pressure and stuck to your convictions. I just you want to be sure you are ready to take the plunge".

"Actually, I…I…", I hesitate to say.

"What Livvie? You can tell me anything", he reassures me encasing my hands in his.

"I…I…was hoping my first time would be with you", I blurt. "Okay I said it; happy now?"

Fitz grins broadly and chuckles.

"Wow, you saved yourself for me. You wanted nothing less than the best; Fitzy lovin' or nothing at all. I can totally understand that".

"Oh geez, I knew I should have taken this secret to the grave. I'm beginning to have trouble breathing because your ego is sucking all the oxygen out of the room".

"Come to me my sweet virgin lover".

"Keep this up and virgin will remain the operative word my cocky wannabe lover".

"Interesting word selection Livvie".

He looks at me with smoldering eyes. This is it, the end of all conversation, the beginning of passionate action.

 **Fitz POV**

I lightly touch every feature of her face. For years, I sketched her beauty from memory and I am amazed at the accuracy of my drawings, apparently when it comes to Olivia I have a photographic memory.

The tips of her fingers outline my facial profile. Her touch is warm, comforting and affirming. We map each other's face with light tender strokes committing to memory the subtle details. I caress her jawline and place a soft tender kiss on her lips. We both close our eyes, letting the intimacy of the moment overtake us. Our eager lips lock and suck sending erotic pulses through our bodies. Tongues tap, glide, curl and swipe.

Our hands follow the lead of our lips, as they rove arms, stroke backs, and caress shoulders, carefully initiating our move to the next level.

No longer content with passionate kissing, our skin-to-skin contact fuels a deeper desire. Before either of us realizes what is happening I have her on her back, my hand slipping into her panties fondling her folds and massaging her clit. Her legs are bent, falling open naturally welcoming my arousing touches. My fingers go in and out of her sex preparing her for the penetration to come. She grips my shoulders and kisses her way up and down my neck and chest. Olivia moans my name as I finger her, coaxing an orgasm from her untapped keg. She trembles and I hold her through the shaking.

"Livvie" I whisper, looking for confirmation.

"It feels good Fitz, so good", she moans between breathy pants coming down from her high.

Instinctively, my neophyte love clasps my penis in her hand, stroking me at the same pace as my fingers pump in and out of her. Likewise, I moan from her enlivening touch. I run my tongue along the seam of her lips before wedging my tongue into her mouth. I'm totally lost in the moment, my body basking in the pleasure of us. Nothing has ever felt this good in my life or so right.

 **Olivia POV**

Fitz is right for me, I need to look no further, or know what it is like to be with another man, for in my heart no one can compare to Fitz. He will be my one and only lover. I'm not old fashion I just know who I want. I see no point in hopping from bed to bed for the sake of comparing one sexual experience to another. Sex is only one component of a relationship, a large component but not "the one". I don't want sex without love. I don't want five or ten different guys making deposits in my v-bank. I don't want to think about Joe when I'm with Fred. I don't want my husband to go a reunion or wedding with me and have wonder who I've been with or wonder if he measures up to past lovers. I don't want to worry about STDs, outbreaks or hidden cameras.

My arms curl under his arms, my hands grip the top of his shoulders from behind and I pull him close and whisper _I love you_ in his ear. He immediately stops kissing my neck and dipping in my folds. He hovers atop me, his gaze fixed. He says nothing, just stares into my eyes for seconds, maybe a few minutes; I'm not sure for how long. His temporary silence is not awkward. We're in love, we understand each other; words are not always necessary.

"I have longed for you and only you Livvie for so long".

"Fitz I yearned for you as well. You're the thirst, the hunger I could never quench".

He slowly removes my bra and panties and I push his boxers down his hips and legs with my feet. He pulls me on top of his body and holds me in place below the thighs. I feel the hair on his legs rubbing against my hairless ones. My breasts rest atop the nipples on his chest and I feel his harden wood jabbing my stomach. He gives me a slow, deep kiss. My fingers comb through his wavy hair massaging his scalp in pace with his kisses. He's teaching patience and intimacy and I willingly submit to his loving tutelage. He rolls me over onto my back. His hands grope my breasts as his tongue licks turn my nipples into stiffened peaks. I can feel more fluid seeping out my sexual core and my stomach muscles tightening. His mouth trails a straight line of kisses from my throat to my belly button. He peppers my navel with kisses then licks his way to the top of my waxed triangle. I can feel him inhaling my vaginal scent and hear him mumbling "next time baby, next time".

He kisses his way up my body, when he reaches my head, he tenderly kisses my eyes and cheeks.

"Ready Livvie?"

 **Fitz POV**

"Yes baby, I'm ready".

I knock on the door of her chamber by thumping my member against her folds. Her legs spread open beneath me inviting me to enter her domain. I slowly inch my way in giving her muscle walls time to adjust to my ample visitor. She gasps from the pain once I'm fully sheathed within her. I wait for her breathing to calm before I begin easing in and out of her. Her heels rub against my thighs in unison with my thrusts. Her soft moans surround me spurring me to drive faster, pleasure her more. All I want is to make her feel the passion and love she unleashes within me. The synergy of our intimate connection continues to mount with an intensity propelling us to the brink of complete ecstasy. Deeper, faster, my unhinged mind demands. I need to get closer, to connect deeper. The bed squeaks and shimmies in place. Olivia's body is squeezing me tighter, and tighter, reeling me in to the point where there is no differentiation between our bodies. Her nails pierce my back drawing blood. We kiss feverishly, devouring each other in sync with our pelvic tango. The natural taste of our mouths is an adrenalizing aphrodisiac. We are each other's everlasting gobstopper. Bliss, euphoria, elation, ecstasy, all collide at once, hurling us over rapture's precipice. Orgasmic tremors rock out bodies and cries of sated gratification fill the room.

I collapse on top of her. She whimpers and holds me tight.

"You are mine forever Livvie". She kisses me gently.

"I like the sound of that Fitz".

"Rest baby, we'll talk more later".

I move off her, pull her close and spoon our bodies. I kiss her shoulder and she places our joined hands on her stomach.

"I love you Fitz".

"I love you too Livvie".

We both drift off to sleep knowing nothing will ever diminish the love and passion we feel for each other.

* * *

"Mellie, thank you for sharing your inspiring words and for personally coming California to award the Pearson Foundation's generous gifts of financial support to some truly deserving nonprofits. The Foundation's donations will ensure the efforts of many in this room will continue to positively impact the literacy rate in the California".

"Donna, thank you for your kind words but you and the people assembled here today, working on the frontlines day in and day out to eliminate this national shame are who deserve all the accolades".

Mellie stands doing the penguin clap for Donna Metcalf, the host for the evening, and the rest of the attendees. She adds a touch of sincerity by giving Donna a warm embrace.

Jake and Abby sit in the last row of folding chairs in the community center. After the applause dies down, a few people mill around to chat but the majority exit the building and head for home. Jake waits for Mellie to be alone then approaches her. Mellie says her final goodbyes and bends down to grab her purse. When she turns around, she finds herself nose to nose with Jake. Startled but not shaken she smiles smugly.

"What the hell are you doing here Mellie?" Jake snarls.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

AN – Well our star-crossed lovers finally start their journey together and for the moment, all is right in their world.

Mellie is back and with a clear record no less. What do you think Fitz will say or do once he finds out?

Next up for Triolitz, a return to the present.

Drop a comment if your are so inclined and give bring a smile to my face.

Have great week and take care.


	11. Chapter 10

Tri-Olitz Chapter 10

 **McGowan**

Bu…zz…zz. Bu…zz…zz.

The buzz and whine of the lobby area badge reader alerts those nearest the reception area in the Cyber Security Division of the CIA a visitor is on site. The buzz is quickly followed by the clunk of the lock release and wisp of the heavy security door swinging opening. Two men in uniform enter unescorted. Chatty groups of two and three standing near the doorway go silent surprised by the unannounced visit of a high ranking military official. General McGowan, accompanied by his adjutant, Percy Haines, ask the office assistant at the reception desk for directions to Olivia's office. Neither the general nor the adjutant feels the need to identify themselves or provide an explanation for their visit. The scrawny young man with red hair, coke-bottle glasses and a slight facial tick behind the desk directs them to the closest aisle leading to Olivia's workstation. They give a nod of thanks then march briskly to their target destination. The assistant sends a quick email to alert Olivia two uniformed military officers are headed her way, their purpose unknown.

McGowan and Haines step with deliberateness through the aisles, the rustling sound from the fabric of their shifting uniforms works like a dinner bell calling the hungry. As the two imposing strangers make their way through the rows of padded cubicles, heads poke out of from behind wall, chairs slide across the carpet floors and the static hum of enquiring voices disrupts the usual office quiet. Ringing phones go unanswered and the truly curious quietly follow at a distance determined to learn the two visitor's ultimate destination.

McGowan reaches Olivia's cubicle and finds her engaged in an animated whisper-voice conversation with Cyrus, Reese and Fitz. The conversation is so intense the focused four are unaware McGowan and Haines are standing in front of Olivia's cubicle. At first, McGowan decides to wait for a pause in the conversation but upon hearing it mentioned two military officers are expected to show up in any second, he forsakes waiting for a lull and clears his throat. All heads turn to see the person letting his presence be known.

 **Olivia POV**

Is he here to make sure I'm leaving the building, geez? No, he's probably here to gloat or to add insult to injury?

"Ms. Pope, Captain Grant, gentlemen", McGowan addresses in the typical direct military tone.

"General", we all reply in unison, with looks of confusion.

"Director Beene, is there some place private we all can talk?"

"Is there something wrong General", Reese asks standing concerned.

"No, just something I need to speak to Ms. Pope about that I think all of you should hear".

"We can use the conference room next to my office."

As a group we quickly make our way to Cyrus' private conference room and take a seat at the large mahogany table. Cyrus, Reese, Fitz and I sit together on one side, McGowan and Haines on the opposite side.

"Ms. Pope there is no honor or award to truly reflect the amount a bravery, loyalty or sacrifice you showed in rescuing Captain Grant. This nation sleeps safer because you dealt a crippling blow to a major terrorist's organization. You retrieved a major military asset in the person of Captain Grant and your determination and ingenuity have all branches of the military feeling quite proud".

"General I appreciate how you went to bat for me, however, if you recall the other branches found my action rogue, unstable and unfit for intelligence work". "In fact _, I laugh_ , they've gone on the official record formally reprimanding and dismissing me for my actions, so forgive me if I find your assessment of my hearing somewhat disingenuous".

"Ms. Pope the official record of the proceeding will never see the light of day. The entire hearing was strictly to afford the other branches the opportunity to dress you down. Let's be frank Ms. Pope, although you are not enlisted, you did serve within purview of the military and as such were subject to military disciplinary action".

"I don't understand, am I fired or not, if everything was merely for show?"

"Oh yes, your employment is definitely terminated. Rogue behavior cannot exist in a military environment where chain of command is essential to order, function and continuity".

"O...kay General, thank you for clearing up the reason for my hearing and confirming my unemployed status".

"General, will the official record continue to attribute credit for the mission to others rather than Olivia? After all it was her op", Fitz reminds.

"Fitz, it's okay", I say patting his chest to calm him.

"I understand your frustration Captain and Ms. Pope's disappointment in not receiving recognition for her part in the mission, however, the op was unsanctioned and could have turned into a disaster."

Fitz is about to say more when Cyrus cuts in.

"This is where I'll have to disagree with you General."

"Cyrus, I know you have great respect and confidence in Ms. Pope but…".

"It's not confidence General, it is total and complete trust in her judgment and ability. She has uncovered more coded messages involving western targets than any other analyst since coming to the CIA. She never theorizes, she sticks to the irrefutable facts. If an attack or assassination is imminent, she confirms that the intel is accurate, verifiable and most importantly current. We have not lost one comprised asset under her watch. Olivia Pope is a protector of those in the field, under deep cover and serving in any sort of diplomatic capacity. Olivia is a true patriot. The stuff shirts at the hearing this morning are poor examples of the ideal and motto for their military branch. Pope was not willing to leave a man behind and she executed a dangerous extraction with surgical precision. Please don't insult the intelligence of those here by implying it was merely dumb luck the rescue didn't turn into a clusterfuck".

Reese adds, "Today the intelligence community suffered a great loss. Olivia is an exceptionally rare breed of analyst. I've never encountered anyone like her in all my years of serving. She is one of the unsung heroes behind the scenes who make it possible for the military to execute successful missions and pat themselves on the back for a job well-done. Men with ribbons and shiny brass stars always forget to thank the civilian men and women hunched over their desks combing through endless amounts of data to provide reliable intel to the boots on the ground. Military command thinks team and brotherhood only extends to those in uniform. Well General, without the Olivia Popes of this world, you and your khaki camouflaged brethren would be fighting the good fight with Stone Age technics".

"Gentlemen I did not come here gloat or give a lecture. Me and my khaki brethren recognize the incredible job Ms. Pope did in rescuing Captain Grant".

"What…really…is that a fact"…, we all smirk one after the other.

"You certainly have a strange way of showing it", Fitz bites.

"Captain, if you'll indulge me a few more minutes and allow me to state my purpose in being here I think all of you will find my assessment far from disingenuous".

"General I'm not the one that was fired. It's up to Olivia if she wants to hear what you have to say".

I'm angry, curious and feed-up all at the same time. What more can McGowan possibly have to say to me?

"General…", I hesitate, debating whether to send him packing or listening to his explanation.

"Go ahead Liv, let's hear him out", Cyrus votes.

"Yes, I think we're all curious", Reese concurs.

"Fine, please continue General", I relent.

"Is it ready, McGowan asks Haines?" Haines nods rotating a laptop he's placed on the table to face McGowan.

"General, nice to see again. I take it you are with Ms. Pope".

"Yes sir, I'm with her now".

"Ms. Pope someone would like to speak to you".

I try to place the voice coming from the laptop, it's familiar but I draw a blank. I look over at Fitz who is smiling from ear to ear. Apparently, he recognizes the voice. McGowan places the laptop in front me. I look down and see the face of the voice and for a second I can't breathe.

"Ms. Pope this is President Vargas". I gasp, cover my mouth and turn to Fitz pointing at the screen. Completely unnerved, I clumsily push my chair away from the table out of sight of the camera.

"Ms. Pope are you there, are you there Ms. Pope?" Fitz rubs my back encouraging me to move forward.

"Yes, Mr. President I'm here. My voice a little shaky. I'm here with my fiancé Captain Grant, Director Beene and Chief Reese.

"Excellent, they should hear this too".

"Thank you, sir, for including us", Cyrus says on behalf of he and Reese.

"First let me apologize for not being able to bestow the Presidential Medal of Freedom upon you. Manipulating that record would be somewhat trickier. But both the Congressional and Presidential medal are equal in stature and convey the highest degree of honor available to a civilian, although from what I read of your mission, I think you have some navy seal training in you". Everyone laughs.

"Thank you sir, but I don't understand".

"General did you tell her why she's here?"

"No sir, I thought the element of surprise was more befitting of the ceremony".

"I see, well Ms. Pope, the general is there to present you with the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor, the highest civilian award of recognition". Haines takes a box out of his attaché case, opens the box containing the medal and hands it to McGowan.

Everyone's mouth drops open, we're speechless. Fitz hugs me and kisses me several times. Reese and Cyrus smile brightly like proud parents and I cry softly into Fitz's shoulder, releasing weeks of stress.

"Ms. Pope please stand", I hear McGowan say.

Fitz helps me to my feet, he wipes the tears from my eyes with his pocket hanky. Holding hands, we face the President together. Cyrus and Reese also stand.

"Olivia, may I call you Olivia?"

"Of course, Mr. President".

"We've been searching for that particular munitions deport for months with no success. That depot had been the source untold numbers of weapons and explosive devices used in actions across the globe. Olivia, you and your team delivered a major setback to the militant extremists' network".

"I want you to understand, the decision not to go public with your role in the mission is not so much a reprimand as it is decision to keep you safe. If word got out about your part in the operation, you would immediate become a target for every low-ranking jihadist looking for glory and a quick trip paradise".

"I understand sir. Thank you". Fitz comforts me with a hug.

"Olivia although no one outside the upper echelons of military intelligence will ever know of your exemplary service and heroic exploit, no one, even the military officers who sat in judgment at your dismissal hearing, want your role in this historic mission to go unrecognized. Please accept this honor from a grateful military, Congress and nation".

McGowan hands me the medal in its silk lined box. The medal, engraved with my CIA file photo, god I hate that picture, it's right up there with a hideous DMV or booking photo. The words "Olivia Pope defender of freedom and supporter of the armed forces" are also engraved around the edge of the medal. I rub my finger across the face of the medal, then look up at a beaming Fitz, his face full of love and pride.

My legs feel like jello and my heart is racing. I swear if Fitz wasn't holding on to me I'd be a crumpled mess on the floor.

"Mr. President…I…I…I'm honored…humbled…grateful. I don't know to say. This is truly an honor". _Damn I sound like a blithering idiot…uh…uh…uh. Where's my Ivy League education when I need it? Shit!_

"Mark this day down gentlemen because we will probably never see it again in our lifetime, a speechless Olivia Pope", Cyrus jabs.

"I'm so proud of you Livvie".

Fitz pecks me on the lips and whispers in my ear how he plans to show me how proud he is over and over again tonight. I cannot believe his crazy ass is stoking my honeypot in front of the POTUS. I'm going to kill him later; sexually that is.

Haines snaps a few photos with his Fuji instamatic camera.

Curious, Cyrus asks McGowan "how will this appear in the congressional record?"

"Officially, Ms. Pope is receiving this honor for her tireless work with and on the behalf of veterans".

"Captain I have to say I hope you know a lot of men envy you. You have one amazing woman there. People always say they'll move heaven and earth for the one they love but Captain your fiancé is the only person I've known to actually do it. You better hold onto her for dear life, she is rare and absolutely priceless".

"Mr. President, with all due respect you, don't have tell me of Olivia's incalculable worth for I've known it since the moment we met as children. I count myself the luckiest man on earth because she gave me the incomparable honor and treasured gift of her love".

"I must say Captain Grant your eloquent heartfelt words best any award or medal I can give Ms. Pope. I wish you two peace, prosperity and great success as you journey forth in life together".

"Thank you sir", Fitz and I say together.

"Before I go, not be presumptuous but I expect an invitation to your wedding", President Vargas grins.

"Wow, it would be our honor sir. Thank you."

"No Olivia, the honor would truly be mine. I'm sorry I have to cut this short, duty calls. Olivia, Captain, General, Reese, Beene, it's been a pleasure, good-bye". The screen fades to black and silence fills the room.

"Ms. Pope it has indeed been honor. Please keep in touch with Director Beene, I'm sure there will be contractual opportunities in the future where your skills can be utilized". McGowan extends his for me to shake.

"I will General. However, as I will be a for-profit concern in private life my services will not come cheap. After all I won't have the same degree of resources at my disposal".

"I'm sure a fair and equitable price can be negotiated. Cyrus will be in touch".

"Until then General".

"Until then Ms. Pope. Gentlemen", McGowan nods and leaves with Haines following right behind him.

* * *

 **Fitz POV**

I shake McGowan and Haines' hands before they leave and thank them. While I appreciate McGowan's support and the president's recognition, I'm still ticked Olivia will never be given rightful acknowledgment for the mission. My Livvie deserves the credit for planning and executing a brilliant strategic operation. Olivia's congressional medal is absolutely deserved; however, it is tainted by the white-washing of her heroic actions.

Olivia seems fine with everything, says it's the kick in the pants she needs to finally step out and do what she wants, crisis management. I have to take her at her word, at least for now. I think she's okay because she doesn't know half a dozen analysts in Briggs' group received promotions because of her op. Huck found out a few days ago and let me know. Fucking Briggs, his team searched two years for that depot and never found it. Olivia found it in 24 hours. Briggs is a total brown-nosers who willing takes credit for other's work. The guy has no shame or honor. Huck says he'll take care of Briggs. I was so pissed when he told about the promotions I forgot to ask how he planned to address the Briggs issue. I don't think he plans to kill him but I won't lose any sleep if Briggs' lying tail gets roughed up.

"Ms. Pope, Congressional Medal recipient, will you do me the honor of allowing me to escort you home?"

"I guess, you are my ride". _I love it when she's snarky._ We can take the freight elevator in the back. I want to bypass all the looks of pity".

"Okay babe whatever you want. Let's go pick up your stuff".

"Liv, your colleagues want to say good-bye, can you spare a few minutes?"

"Director, I appreciate the sentiment, I really do. I've just never been good at saying good-bye".

"I understand your reluctance. Remember I have access to your profile. We're not talking cake and speeches, only handshakes and nods. Olivia at one point or another you've helped everyone on the other side that door. Let them express their appreciation, this is only time they'll have the opportunity".

Olivia hems and haws for a bit but eventually agrees. After I grab her two boxes of belongings, we exit walking down the aisles leading to the division entrance instead of the freight elevator. One by one every person she's worked with stands in front of their cubicle waiting to shake my Livvie's hand. The restrained decorum of a simple handshake is observed by some but most choose to express their gratitude with a tearful hug. Everybody claps when she turns to wave goodbye because they all know what she did and for Olivia the fact that her co-workers know the truth it is enough for her.

We stop at HR to turn in her badge, sign some paperwork, including the CIA's version of a non-disclosure agreement which basically promises to lock her up in federal for a billion years if she so much as speaks one word about the work she was involved in.

Cyrus and Reese walk us out to avoid the embarrassment of being escorted by security.

"Olivia I'll be in touch", Cyrus promises.

"If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call", Reese adds.

"Thank you both for everything". Olivia hugs Cyrus and Reese at the same time.

All I can do is nod to both men because I'm carrying the boxes.

"Ready to go handsome?"

"Absolutely gorgeous." And with nothing else left to be said, we head for home.

* * *

 **Olivia POV**

Lost in my thoughts I don't immediately hear Fitz calling my name.

"Liv…Livvie…are you okay?"

"Hm, I'm sorry babe did you say something?"

"I asked if you were okay".

"Yes, I'm fine, just thinking about the future.

"And what do you see the future holding?"

"Actually, it looks quite bright. Being fired is the kick in the pants I need to move forward with opening Olivia Pope and Associates. I've been working on my business plan on and off since grad school and while you were recuperating I really fleshed it out".

"McGowan sounds as if he has definite plans for you?'

"I honestly have no idea. The CIA employs dozens of off the books contractors. I doubt they offer me a black op. More than likely it will have something to do with analyzing the strategy of a black op in play for its' viability before it's actually executed. But…

"But what..."

"Working off the books will be fine at the beginning. It will allow me to build up savings and secure office space. Generating income from crisis management has to my main source of cashflow. Politics has an ebb and flow. Relying on anything said to today beyond the Vargas administration would be unwise. Reese, Beene and McGowan are three party steamers, a dry chicken breast and a cheap gold watch away from retirement. I have to keep my focus on crisis management even in the midst of working on whatever bone they throw my way".

"Livvie, I'm confident whatever you set your mind to will be a success. You can count on me to support your dream and lend a hand whenever you need me to".

"Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III, have I told you how much I love you lately?" I ask coyly massaging the nape of his neck.

"Every single day babe, even if you're mad at me".

He pulls down my hand to kiss it. I do tell him I love him every day because we've been through more than our fair share of close calls. I always want the last words we speak to one another to be "I love you". With Fitz, I never want to experience,"woulda…coulda…shoulda".

"I think I'll invite the gang over for dinner to discuss opening Oliva Pope and Associates".

"Not tonight sweet baby. Tonight, I want you in bed wearing nothing except your medal".

"Ooh, will you be wearing your medal too?"

"I think that can be arranged Ms. Pope". I lean over to kiss his cheek and my phone rings.

"It's Jake. Perfect it saves me the phone call about dinner".

"Hey Jake, what's up?"

"Come on Olivia, did actually expect me not call. How did it go?"

"They graciously released me to pursue alternative employment options. And I got an exit bonus".

"A bonus? What kind of bonus? I've never heard of a termination bonus. Is it like severance pay?"

"Liv", Fitz checks me.

"I'll explain everything tomorrow night over dinner. Round up the troops and be at our place at seven".

'You're not going to spend your first day of freedom trying to cook, are you? I'm more than willing to bring pizza or Chinese".

"Screw you Ballard!"

"Thank you for the offer but I think Fitzgerald would object. Anyway, I have another reason for calling".

"Spill".

"I guess news of Fitz's honorable discharge is out. Guess who was spotted coming out of Sweetzer & Cavanaugh PR this morning?"

"Shit, Big Gerry", Fitz groans.

"And the cauldron stirrer"

My turn to groan, "Mellie".

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

AN – Yes, my dear readers two updates in two days. Can you believe it? I'm on a roll and we have a holiday coming up. No telling what's in store next.

So, Olivia has been fired; well kind of. McGowan has something up his sleeve. I wonder what it be.

Did you like a living President Vargas? Too much killing on the show so I plan to keep alive the worthier characters in some of my stories.

Can you believe it, the ink isn't even dry on Fitz's DD214 (discharge form) and Big Gerry is swooping in uninvited with Mellie the Menace? Will Fitz be Olivia's first client? Possibly?

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time. Be well and take care.


	12. TriOlitz chaper 11

Triolitz

Chapter 11

 **Back to the Past Two Months after the Accident**

"Jacob, this is a surprise. I didn't know you could read. Did red here read the flyer to you? Are you here to take advantage of the services?"

"Cut the bullshit Mellie. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Language Jacob ladies are present, well at least one".

Abby straightens her back and raises one eyebrow. Turning to Jake, she asks, "Did this bitch just insult me?" Jake gently grabs Abby by the wrist to stop her advance toward Mellie.

"Really Jacob the company you and Fitz keep is rather low brow", Mellie derides without batting an eye.

"Mellie, I suggest you refrain from giving my friend Abby here anymore reasons to cold cock your snooty ass".

"Jacob this is a step up for you, cavorting with a common brawler instead of your usual bar trolling trash".

"Okay that's it, let me teach this cow a lesson in manners". Abby jerks her wrist out of Jake's hand and moves closer to Mellie. Mellie stands her ground not moving an inch in retreat.

"Abby she's not worth it. She has the personality of a snake, the depth of a street gutter and the intelligence of a moron. Ignore her bravado, it's as fake as her lashes and tits".

"I got the snake part two seconds after she opened her mouth and the street gutter comparison makes sense but moron? I think that's a stretch. She strikes me more along the lines of a dimwit, idiot, twit or simpleton. I mean anyone who keeps pursuing someone who retches at the sight of her must be a mental defective or halfwit".

"Look Poison Ivy..."

"Mellie stop trying to deflect, stay on topic and answer the damn question. What are you doing here?"

"You did attend this evening's event did you not, so I don't get the point of your question. I'm here promoting the literacy campaign my family's foundation is sponsoring. I'll be traveling up and down the state meeting with education advocates, speaking to frontline educators and lobbying legislators for matching funds to support innovative literacy programs".

"Mellie, you know full and damn well you can't be anywhere near Fitz. So, unless you want to share quarters and a sweaty cot with Big Bertha from cellblock crazy for violating the restraining order you need to be on the next flight out of LA".

"Oh yes, about that", Mellie grins smugly. "Apparently, you haven't heard, so let me the bearer of the good news. I'm happy to report the order has been dismissed and my record expunged".

"No way! Fitz was never notified. The court has an obligation to notify the victim. You're lying".

"Scout's honor, god's honest truth", Mellie informs, raising her hand in oath. "I completed a little twelve step intensive, told the judge how very, very sorry I was about the trouble I caused and voilà- licketty split I am a free woman untarnished by the misunderstandings of the past".

"Misunderstanding...misunderstanding, you tried to drug and rape Fitz".

Mellie gestures for Jake to calm down. "Lower your voice, you know I did nothing of the sort. Amanda drugged him not me. And no, I did not try to take advantage of Fitz while he was incapacitated".

"Mellie, I have no idea what your true intentions were that night. I came home and found you performing some crazy hoodoo voodoo shit butt naked in Fitz's bedroom and he was out cold".

"Rehashing the past is a waste of time, don't you think? I've found new purpose, a new vision for my life".

"Vision? Purpose? Oh come on Mellie, do you really think anyone who has spent more than five minutes with you will buy this "I've reformed" act. You've been obsessed with Fitz since we were kids. There's not a twelve-step program on the planet that can cure your brand of psycho. Your new lease on life I'm sure comes compliments of your father's and Big Gerry's checkbook".

"Poor Jacob, ye of small brain and little understanding".

"So, what's the plan Mels? You plan to keep popping up by coincidence until we ship out?"

"Last time I checked this was a free country where citizens are free to go where they please. I'm here promoting literacy and will be for a couple weeks. There's no hidden agenda here Jacob. If I cross paths with Fitz it will simply be by accident".

"Go home Mellie, whatever scheme you and the daddy dearest twins plan to hatch is not going to work. Fitz wants nothing to do with you. Being in close proximity to you is hazardous to his health. So why don't you hop on your broomstick or turn into a bat and fly away".

"Droll as ever Jake. Tell how me do you enjoy your role as the perpetual loyal lapdog sidekick? Does Fitz ever slip and call you Fido? Do you fetch things for him? Does he give you treats for a job well done?"

"Whata' bitch!" Abby exclaims.

"Yes, I am honey so I suggest you stay clear of me. My bite and my bark are equally dangerous".

"Since when?" Jake asks with genuine curiosity. "Your record to date is more a series of Looney tunes inspired fiascos. And I have no doubt your track record of humiliating failure will continue unabated".

"The past is the past. I let others influence my relationship with Fitz, but no more. I am my own person and plan to make up for the past. Fitz being here is a sign confirming the new path of my life".

"Mellie you really expect me to believe you didn't know Fitz was here".

"No idea". Mellie pulls her purse onto her shoulder and begins to leave. "Well it's been a pleasure but I have more interesting things to do like paint my nails than to continue talking to you and the redheaded Elvira here".

"Okay that's it", Jake grabs Abby by the arm before she can lunge at Mellie.

"Go home Mellie before you embarrass yourself further".

"Goodbye Jacob I hope this is the last time we ever meet", Mellie smirks.

"You and me both Mellie, you and me both". Mellie gives a backhanded wave and hops into an awaiting limo.

"What an insufferable bitch! How long have you and Fitz been dealing with her trifling ass?"

"Since elementary school. Our families socialize on a regular basis. They're determined to have Fitz and Mellie marry and make it to the White House".

"As in Washington D.C., that White House?"

"Yes, Big Gerry wants Fitz to be president of the United States. He and Mellie's father have been filling her head with thoughts of a republican Camelot for years. Fitz has no interest in politics, at least not his father's kind".

"Did you two enlist to get away from his father?"

"No, we've always planned to serve our country. Fitz wants to be a pilot and I want to be a seal. The extended time away from our manipulative relations is an added bonus".

"What about Mellie's sidekick comment. You're really not Fitz's sidekick".

"No, I'm not. We've been best friends since kindergarten. We have each other's back no matter what. Although I think Olivia may be replacing me in some respects".

"Yeah, I think Fitz is taking over a few of my BFF responsibilities too".

Jake takes Abby's hand, "so I guess we both have extra free time on our hands".

"I guess we do", Abby teases tapping her finger on Jake's chest. Jake gives her a quick peck on the lips.

"Come on Elvira, let's go home and find something interesting to do with our newly found surplus time".

"I like your thinking Fido. I'm anxious to teach you to lay down and beg".

"I'm all yours as long as I get some treats".

* * *

Jake and Abby arrive at the house 30 minutes later. The lights are still on and a few dishes remain in the sink. Not thinking anything of the unfinished task, they turn off the kitchen lights and head to their bedroom.

"Do you hear that?" The distinctive sound of a couple moaning in what can only be from sex echoes through the quiet hallway.

They peer into Olivia's bedroom through the slightly cracked open door. Abby is about to shriek in surprise but Jake quickly covers her mouth and pulls her away from the door. Abby is in complete shock. The sight of Olivia's bare ass riding Fitz, her hands grasping her breasts as she meets him stroke for stroke, moaning with pleasure like a sexual veteran leaves Abby speechless and very happy for her friend.

When she finally regains the power of speech all she can say is "It's about damn time!" Jake chuckles in agreement.

He closes Olivia's bedroom door and takes Abby by the hand. "I'm ready to earn my treats now".

"Good boy", Abby says grabbing Jake by his belt and leading him to their bedroom.

* * *

AN – Mellie is back and ready to resume her crazy stalking ways. What is she up to? What part of "you disgust me" does she not understand?

Fitz has been pretty clear about the direction he plans to take in life but apparently the dads and Mellie have other plans.

Mellie has made an enemy in Abby, something she will come to regret.

Jake will have to give Fitz the bad Mellie news in the morning. Hopefully he can do it without a smirk.

Now that Fitz and Olivia are together, do you think Olivia will be a target?

Well, I hope you enjoyed this installment. Have a great week!


End file.
